Flashback
by Starr Williams
Summary: An old adversary has returned to Manhattan and is not happy about some of the events of the past few years. After a magic spell sends Elisa back in time, she must put her trust in an unexpected source to get back home. (Fixed the errors with Chapter 4)
1. Chapter 1

Alone in the entryway of an old Victorian mansion, a woman stood alone. The news had not hit her well, and she was still processing it in her mind.

Despite the fact that the actual event had happened almost three years ago now, she had only just found out.

She had been away, out of the country, for all that time. When she knew that she'd be returning, she had called up a detective that she'd worked with before to look into a few things for her…

When she had returned, she had found two envelopes laying on the floor in the foyer, having been slipped into the oversized mail slot.

Inside the first envelope from the detective, she peeked inside without really looking at anything closely. Thumbing through the contents, she had found a few pictures that had obviously been taken at a distance and enlarged with a slightly grainy quality to them and a few reports.

It was the smaller envelope that had gotten her attention. It was a more personal letter, even if it was worded rather impersonally.

She tossed the detective's envelope aside without actually removing anything yet.

She turned to the single, smaller envelope with something bordering on excitement. It was a letter from her daughter. They hadn't had the best relationship, and that was her fault for staying away so long.

The letter inside was three pages long, handwritten in a carful script that bordered on modern calligraphy. She settled down in a large antique armchair to devour the news.

By the end of the first page, she was almost blind in her anger.

She tossed the pages aside, and made a mad dash back to the foyer table where she'd left the information packet from the detective.

Both the detective's report and the letter told her basically the same things.

Her first love had married another.

It was a hard thing to see the last of what she'd come to think of as her early life disappear. He had been her first love, and they had even created a child as a result of that love.

Then he had turned on her, pushed her away, and apparently had abandoned any of his so-called heart-felt vows that he would love her forever. He had even gone so far as to warp their child's feelings to match his own, turning against her.

She thought she had accepted that, moved on. She had a life now, working for a multinational corporation. She had taken lovers, had almost married a man once, but in the back of her mind had always been the thought that there was a chance.

A chance that he would change his mind. That he would come around and realize that he still loved her.

He had called her his "angel", once upon a time…

Unconsciously, she let the papers and photographs slip from her fingers and drift back towards the floor.

She took a breath, running her hands roughly through her hair.

All of her hard work, all of the travelling and time spent on her plans, and in an instant it was all crumbling away.

She was too late to stop it from happening, but that didn't mean that she didn't still have some tricks up her sleeve.

She was not going to stand by and allow this sham of a "marriage" to continue.

With that thought, she stalked to her bedroom. It was too late to put anything into motion today, having arrived late in the afternoon by private jet.

But there was always tomorrow, she thought grimly. She would have plenty of time to work out a plan.


	2. Chapter 2

lisa Maza, a decorated detective within the NYPD, was standing guard in the spiral shaped rotunda of the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum. Bored out of her mind, she ran her gaze over the crowd.

Normally, she enjoyed people watching. It was amazing what you could learn about people by just watching how they interact with each other and their surroundings. But tonight, not so much.

Inside, the multilevel iconic round ramp rose upward, and held easily a few hundred people, this was the crème de la crème of the New York society, as well as some foreign diplomats and their entourage. The newest crop of societal charity workers had gotten together to throw a pre-Halloween masquerade ball, complete with an auction that was going to benefit…

Honestly, Elisa couldn't remember which charity it was. She only hoped that it went somewhere to help where people honestly needed it.

When the powers that be within the charity's organization began planning this event, they'd realized that they were ill-equipped to handle much of went along with having tables laden with priceless art and valuable items that were up for the benefit auction. They had reached out to every police station across Manhattan and offered to bankroll any and all available officers to come in, both in uniform and undercover, to keep an eye on things until the end of the auction. Then the guards would only be needed to stand guard at the door of the designated room that would hold the items until their new owners chose to claim them.

The ball didn't actually begin until 7:00 p.m., but she had had to be here at 4:00 to keep watch over the auction items, as well as keeping the patrons honest with the bidding process. Luckily, she was free to go as soon as the auction ended.

As an added bonus, she was here undercover… meaning that she was able to wander throughout the crowd in a formal gown (courtesy of Fox Xanatos), sipping sparkling cider in a champagne glass to keep up the appearance of being one of the wealthy patrons.

And why was she here, wasting daylight until then?

She had lost a bet.

To Morgan.

Again.

Damn her loyalty to the Yankees. She had honestly thought they'd had a shot this season. So had the other two "guards" at this event. Matt Bluestone and Detective Stephen Travis were there, too, having been suckered into taken part in the same bet.

Stephen Travis was still new to the 23rd precinct. He'd met Elisa on the night that she'd found Liam, her son. After he had failed to find the infant (and had, in fact, already left the building when Elisa had found him), he had put in for a transfer. Elisa hadn't blamed him. He'd been put into a position where he was the detective in charge of a scene when he'd only been out of the academy a little over a month. He hadn't had enough on-the-job training at the time, but as the only detective in his station who hadn't gotten food poisoning at the station's Christmas party, he'd had little choice but to go. Elisa had been called in to assist as a more senior detective, and the rest was history.

Detective Travis was now a part of the 23rd, and getting the much needed experience, arranging for ride-alongs with Elisa and Matt whenever possible. I amused Elisa that he loved conspiracy theories and would openly debate everything from Elvis still being alive to the existence of Aliens with Matt, while still keeping his own feeling on any one subject a secret.

Elisa had the feeling that he just loved getting Matt on a rant and seeing where it ended up.

Elisa smirked a little. She had another reason why she actually liked the nights he rode with them… as the rookie, he got to handle the paperwork.

All. Of. It.

Elisa insisted it was a training experience.

Travis was not convinced, but he did it anyway. He seemed eager to learn, and even though he had gone through the book learning and official training with the academy, he was sorely lacking in actual real world application and experience.

Elisa was determined to give him as much as she could.

She had kept him out of anything that was Gargoyle related so far. He had just a few too many secrets… he rarely talked about himself, his background.

So far, she had respected his privacy, but she was going to have to do some digging before she would trust him with that part of her life.

Elisa have herself a mental shake to bring herself back to the here and now.

Tonight, the three of them were undercover.

They had all arrived separately, and Elisa had gotten there first. As such, she had the benefit of seeing them arrive.

Matt owned a nice suit, who knew? Elisa mused. Probably a leftover from his wedding.

Matt wandered through the crowd with what looked like a brandy snifter of what Elisa knew had to be club soda. If possible, he hated drinking alcohol worse than Elisa. On top of that, he was almost looking as uncomfortable as Elisa felt.

She could blend in, act the part, but was constantly fighting the urge to pull up the top of her lower-then-comfortably-cut dress and abandon her heels. There was a reason that she mostly wore jeans and tees.

Travis, however…

Travis had shown up in what appeared to be a custom made suit, complete with matching silk tie, cummerbund and pointed decorative handkerchief in his pocket. He wandered the various floors, making conversation with other patrons with ease and joining in conversations on the displayed artwork and items with all the pomp of someone who had been born into the world of the rich.

"Kind of makes you think, doesn't it?" Matt said, following his partner's gaze.

"Yeah," Elisa said softly. "It really makes you wonder how much you really know about someone when you see them in a setting like this and see how they interact with others."

Matt gave a thoughtful hum, "He's really comfortable in that suit. Maybe he's from a rich family himself," he mused, and raised his glass to his lips. He took a sip, then shuddered.

"Is it that bad?" Elisa asked, sipping her cider.

"It's bad," He confirmed. "How much longer do we have?"

Elisa glanced down at the dainty gold and diamond watch on her wrist. "Let's see," She said, as if deep in thought. "We got here at four, and the auction starts at seven. Looking at all of the items and allowing time for bidding, the auction should be over at around nine. It is 5:30 now, so roughly three and a half hours."

"Oh, gods," Matt grumbled into his glass.

"Oh, for…" Elisa rolled her eyes. She handed him her glass and took the thick bottomed snifter from his. Quickly she made her way to the bar. She motioned the bartender over, and whispered into his ear. He smiled and with some overly dramatic flair, he whipped together a drink and handed it to her.

Elisa returned to her "crowd watching" spot and handed the glass to Matt. "Here. Try this."

Matt gave her a skeptical look, then took a cautious sip. His eyebrows rose in surprise. "This is actually good. What is it?"

Elisa smirked at him. "It's a Roy Rogers."

"What?" Matt asked puzzled.

Elisa laughed. "Matt, it's a fancy cherry coke. It's completely non-alcoholic, I promise. If you need another one, just talk to that guy," She jerked her head towards the bartender she'd spoken with. "He's from the 20th precinct. He did some bartending in college, so offered to work the bar to help those of us who need to keep up appearances but not actually drink." She raised her cider-filled glass in a mock toast.

"Clever," He said, tapping his cola filled glass to hers.

"If you go to order," Elisa said lightly, turning slightly to keep her gaze roaming across the crowd, "Just tell him that Shirley recommended him as a good bartender, and he'll know to get you something non-alcoholic."

"Shirley?" Matt chuckled.

"Yeah, as in a 'Shirley Temple' drink." Elisa said with a laugh. "It's a sprite and cherry grenadine mix for kids. It was his idea, not mine."

"Hey, I will take any help to get through this." Matt said, taking a healthy drink. "I've been so thirsty, but those club sodas are not…"

"Good?" Elisa offered.

"Good. Yeah. That'll work." Matt threw her a teasing look. "The bartender seemed to be putting on a show for you, though."

Elisa shook her head. "Bartenders flirt. It helps them get tips."

"I'm not sure, Elisa," Matt frowned at the bartender who stole another look at his partner. He swiftly downed his drink, then headed for the bar. "I'm going to get a refill," He muttered.

"Matt," Elisa said in warning.

Matt smiled at her over his shoulder, "I'm just going to let him know that you are happily married to someone much bigger than he is," He said in a joking tone.

Elisa sighed, watched the interaction between Matt and the bartender. The bartender threw her a mildly panicked look, whipped together another Roy Rodgers for Matt with a lot less flair and more speed, and then hurried to the other end of the bar.

When Matt returned, Elisa glared at him, "What did you tell him?"

"I told him your name, which he seemed to recognize," He shrugged, then added, "And that knew three different forms of martial arts and you could squash him like a bug. Evidently he didn't know who you were, but your reputation precedes you."

Elisa laughed. "Well, damn. Now I'm going to have trouble getting him to refill my drinks."

"Maybe Travis could get your refills," Matt motioned to the younger detective, "I'm sure he'd love an excuse to escape."

Elisa found him, finally, surrounded by a gaggle of young women and looking increasingly uneasy.

"Go get him," Elisa laughed. "We can be a trio tonight and help each other out."

"Okay," Matt said. "You good here for a minute?"

She nodded, just as a flash a color caught her attention towards a lone woman who was just turning onto the ramp that wound its way.

Matt noticed her change in focus and slowly turned in the same direction. "What's up?"

"I don't know," Elisa said slowly, raising her glass to fake a sip to hide her lips. "I thought I saw someone familiar… but they moved too quickly."

"Want to wander with me and check it out?" Matt offered.

"No. I'll go. You grab Travis, and I'll be back in a few minutes," Elisa decided. "It's probably nothing, anyway. In this crowd, I might not find them again."

"I have mine in, but do you have your communicator on?" He asked quietly.

Elisa tapped her ear in acknowledgement as she started to walk in the direction of whatever had caught her attention. She didn't even know what had caught her attention, let alone what she was going to be looking for, but something was setting off her internal alarm and she intended to find out what it was.

In her career, first in her brief stint as a beat cop then later as a detective, she had learned to listen to her instincts. It had saved her life more than once.

Elisa tried to appear casual, but quickened her pace in the direction that the woman had gone. She spotted the woman, and continued in that direction.

There was nothing outwardly noteworthy of the woman's appearance. Tall and slim, wearing an ankle-length black velvet sheath dress, her hair hidden under a large brimmed black hat, she looked much like most of the other guests at the fundraiser.

But still, something was not right…

Floor by floor, Elisa followed the woman. The woman evidently had a destination in mind, as she hadn't once stopped to talk to anyone or to admire any of the artwork.

Finally, they reached the top floor, and the woman slipped through a door marked as an "employees only" area.

Elisa paused for a moment, then cautiously approached the door. It had been left open a crack, and Elisa felt a rush of the cooling evening air. Only the barest hint of light showed, painting a small slice of the indoors with hints of red and gold as the sun prepared to set.

Frowning, Elisa gently pushed the door open and glanced through the opening.

The woman approached the edge of the roof. One by one, she slipped her shoes off.

"Oh, Gods," Elisa thought. "She looks like she might jump." Elisa hurried forward then.

"Excuse me," Elisa called out to the woman. "I don't think you're supposed to be up here."

As Elisa cleared the doorway, the wind forcing the door to slam shut. Elisa glanced back at the sound, startled at the unexpectedly loud bang.

When she again turned forward, she was surprised to find herself only inches from a frighteningly familiar pair of green eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hello, human," she said, flinging the hat away from her into the wind.

The eyes, the hate-filled facial expression, and the flame-red hair.

"Demona," Elisa said, in shock. It had been almost four years since the events of the Hunter's Moon, when Demona had last tried to kill off the human race. She had disappeared without a trace, and no one had heard of her since.

Evidently, she was back.

And angry about… honestly, it didn't matter what she was angry about.

Demona let out a very gargoyle snarl from her throat that gained in strength as the last of the sun's rays left the sky. Taking advantage of Elisa's momentary surprise, she grabbed the human around the throat just under her jaw and lifted her from the ground. As Demona's fingers elongated with her change, her eyes glowing red. She roared into Elisa's face with all the rage that she felt.

She had been trying to rid herself of this one human for years.

Years.

And she just would. Not. Die.

Elisa's brain finally got over the shock and realized the tenuous situation that she was in. She was alone with Demona, unarmed except for a small single use Taser in case a party guest got a little wild.

Elisa kicked out with her right foot, missing Demona entirely, and managing only to lose her shoe. She reached up and grabbed at the restraining hand on her throat with her own hands, trying to pry them loose or get enough leverage to lift herself up enough to free her airway.

"What does it take to kill you?" Demona, now in full Gargoyle form, snarled.

"More than you've got," Elisa managed to get out. Her vision was starting to go blurry on the edges, and she knew she had to do something. Fast.

She reached down, and into the concealed pocket hidden in the folds of the dress' waist. She grabbed the Taser and jammed it into the arm that was holding her. She pushed the button, and a shock of electricity went from the device into Demona.

Demona dropped her, and Elisa went down hard and landed badly. The single high heeled shoe that was still on her left foot went sideways as the thin heel broke with the force of her landing. Elisa felt her left ankle twist at an odd angle, and she crashed to the ground.

With pain screaming through her leg, and knowing that any advantage that she may have had with the Taser shot was gone, Elisa activated the communicator in her ear.

"Rooftop," She gasped out. "Matt, I'm on the roof and need help."

Demona, was coming to, and was starting to get unsteadily to her feet.

Elisa struggled to her feet… or foot, really… and took the best self-defense stance that she could and prepared to fight. Hurt or not, she was not going to make this easy. Her ankle wasn't broken, but it was going to slow her down a little.

"On my way," Matt said, his voice vibrating through the open communicator. Now activated, Elisa could hear crashes and gasps of the shocked people that he was probably shoving out of his way. "Travis is right behind me."

"No, Matt," Elisa said. "Not Travis. It's Demona and..." Elisa trailed off and the enraged female finally rose to her full height.

"Alright Demona," Elisa said, loudly, trying to speak above the sounds of the city and the rising wind. "What do you want?"

"Just you," She snarled.

Elisa exaggerated a sigh. "What else is new? What did I do to you now?"

"Almost there, Elisa," Matt said, sounding a little out of breath.

"Do I need a reason?" Demona shrieked, swinging around, and whipping Elisa's feet out from under her, so once more, she was on the ground.

Elisa was torn between crying out in pain as she landed wrong on the already injured ankle, and gasping as she felt the wind knocked out of her.

"How's this for a reason," Demona snarled, looming over her fallen adversary. "He married you! The fool actually took you to be his mate!"

"What the hell?" Elisa gasped out.

Demona reached down and grabbed her around the throat again, this time from behind. Elisa uselessly kicked out as she realized that Demona was taking her to the edge of the roof.

"I'm going to end this abomination right now," Demona snarled. "This mockery ends now."

Elisa gasped as the last of the roof left her vision. She was now being dangled over the edge, with nothing between her and the ground except for eight stories of air.

"No!" Came a familiar shout.

Elisa gasped as Angela's form suddenly appeared from the night sky, her shoulders driving into both her mother and Elisa. The momentum pushed them back from the edge. Elisa landed, and tried to roll like in her Tae Kwon Do classes to minimize any further injury, coming to a stop somewhere in the center of the roof. She opened her eyes to see the two females, so familiar in appearance, fighting each other.

In the darkness, it was difficult to tell them apart.

The door banged open, and slammed shut again. "Elisa," Matt called out.

"Matt, give me your Taser," Elisa called out.

Matt didn't hesitate, digging the small object out of his pocket and rushing to his partner.

Elisa got to her feet, shoving thoughts of pain as far out of her mind as she could. She hurried as fast as she could to the twin forms fighting in the dark. The only light coming from the twin pairs of red glowing eyes.

The clan and she had been working on some safety moves for instances just like this.

Elisa hoped that it worked.

Elisa charged up the Taser. When it was fully charged up, Elisa called out, "Angela down!"

One of the forms suddenly dropped to the ground and Elisa once again sent electrical volts into the body that was still upright. This time, Demona dropped and stayed down.

Elisa let out a rough breath, and took a few limping backward steps away from the older gargoyle.

More whooshing sounds came as one by one, the Manhattan clan of Gargoyles landed.

"Elisa," Brooklyn called out. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, I'm great," Elisa said, only a little sarcastically.

"I bet," Brooklyn responded with his usual snark. He turned his gaze to Demona, his own eyes fluorescing. "What's she doing here?"

Broadway landed, and hurried to his fallen mate. "Angela, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Angela said softly, getting slowly to her feet. "I wasn't hurt."

"Sorry, Angela," Elisa said. "But thanks for hitting the dirt like that."

Angela shook her head. "I know, Elisa. It's not your fault, and I thank you for not hurting her more than necessary."

Honestly, Elisa hadn't really thought of it that way. If she'd had her gun, she damn well would have used it. All she'd had were the two dinky Tasers. She'd have felt bad, shooting Demona in front of Angela, but if it came down to Demona or her… well, she knew what her choice would be.

Angela still wanted a relationship with her mother, even after the years of disappearance and the repeated betrayals.

Elisa hoped that someday, Angela could move past her need to know Demona and see that her mother was beyond anyone's help.

"Huh," Broadway looked down at Demona. "I was wondering if she'd show up again."

"I wonder where she's been," Angela mused.

Whoosh

"Aye, lass," Hudson said as he landed. "I be wonderin' that, too."

Whoosh

"Yes," Goliath said, his voice resonating with anger. "I wonder as well." Goliath walked past the form of his fallen former mate with barely a glance. He walked until he reached Elisa's side. He lowered a hand to help her to her feet.

Elisa stumbled a bit, trying to keep the weight off of her left ankle. Now that the excitement was over, she was having trouble thinking past it. With Goliath there, Elisa used his arm to balance her as she reached down to remove the offending high heeled torture device from her foot.

"Goliath," She said, trying to keep her voice even, "I think she just found out that we are married, somehow."

Goliath glanced down at her with a frown. "What do you mean?"

"She said something about it, as she was dangling me off the edge of the building," Elisa said. "I think the surprise got to her."

"I hate to break up the reunion, guys," Matt said, joining the group. "But we need to get you out of here before the reinforcements figure out where I went. I sent them all in opposite directions, but they'll probably be here soon."

"I wondered how you got up here without Travis," Elisa said.

"We can take her back to the castle," Angela said, looking to her father for approval, "Right?"

Goliath nodded slowly. "We will take her to the dungeon, and put her in one of the cells there."

Elisa watched as Brooklyn and Broadway each took an arm to pick Demona up. Together, they leapt from the building and towards Castle Wyvern.

"I'll be there soon," Elisa told Goliath to hurry him along. He nodded, and joined the rest of the clan as they took to the skies.

Elisa sighed as they were finally out of sight.

"You know," Matt said, casually walking over to her and grasping her arm to help her stay upright. "One of these days, your husband is going to catch on to how you hide your injuries."

"Yeah," Elisa said. "I kind of dread the day that happens. He'll never let me out of the house again.". She looked around the roof, "Matt, can you help me find my other shoe? Fox will kill me if I lose one."

"I wondered where you got this getup."

"You know me too well." Elisa said.

"If I thought you had voluntarily bought a dress like this," Matt said with a smirk, "I would be worried about a body snatcher invasion."

Any reply Elisa was going to make was cut off as the door opened once more, and police officers swarmed out.

The cavalry had arrived.


	4. Chapter 4

Inside the castle, atop the tallest building in Manhattan, deep within the original dungeons, Demona slept on.

"Do you think she is alright?" Angela asked the clan worriedly.

"She'll be fine," Broadway comforted his mate.

"Yeah," Brooklyn said. "We're not that lucky."

Broadway glared at his rookery brother, only to have Brooklyn shrug back at him. Brooklyn had a lot more that he could say, but chose to at least try to keep his mouth shut.

"She should be awake now, though," Angela fretted.

"I wonder what made her lose it like that," Lexington said, thoughtfully. "I mean, she's been under the radar for a few years now, and to come out of hiding like this…"

Angela didn't respond, but she had an idea what had made her mother react like she had.

"Do ye think it is a good idea, keepin' her here?" Hudson asked Goliath.

"Keeping Demona caged never ends well," He said with a sigh.

"Yeah," Brooklyn said, unable to remain silent on this one. "The last time we tried, she freaking made clones of us."

Angela winced. That time had been at her insistence as well. She kept hoping that her mother would change, and come back to the clan. Time after time, her mother chose the wrong path and only alienated herself further from her clan, making it impossible to get to know her.

And wasn't that the very definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results?

Goliath growled low in his throat. Angela knew that he was reigning himself in because of her. He and Angela had bonded after a while, and now Angela knew that he would do anything in his power to make her happy… but he also wanted to keep everyone safe.

Demona was anything but safe to have around.

A groan from the reinforced iron cage caught all of their attention.

Demona brought a hand up to her head, as she slowly raised herself onto her knees. "What…" She trailed off as she finally recognized where she was. She caught sight of Goliath, and launched herself in her full fury at the bars. She even reached between two of them and took a swipe just to make herself feel better.

"Mother," Angela said, coming to stand between them.

One of Demona's talons caught her daughter in the shoulder.

Angela cried out, and backed away quickly.

Instantly, the clan moved to stand between Angela and the dungeon cell.

Hudson left the younger generation to the protection, and he moved back to assess the damage done.

Angela said nothing, but looked at the elder with tears in her eyes.

"Now, lass," He said gently. "Let's be havin' a look." He eased Angela's hand away from the wound, frowning at the deep gash that was welling up with blood. He opened his pouch, and took out a roll of the first aid gauze that Elisa had started making them all carry with them. As gently as he could, he wrapped the young gargoyle's wound. She would heal after a good day's rest, but it wouldn't do to have her walking around with a bloody wound.

Demona was livid. They'd made her hurt her daughter. The one gargoyle that she cared about.

"You," she snarled at Goliath. "You're to blame for this."

"You have no one to blame but yourself," Goliath pointed out.

Demona forced herself to stop reacting physically, going almost still. "Careful, Goliath. You don't want to act all high and mighty, not that you've betrayed every other Gargoyle in the world."

"What are you talking about?" Goliath demanded.

"You and that human," she emphasized human. "You actually mated with a human?"

"Mother, stop," Angela begged from behind her wall of protectors.

"No," Demona snarled. "He has chosen to throw away all of his high morals and fancy speeches about 'The Gargoyle Way' when he chose to throw his lot in with the humans."

Hudson stood from his tending of Angela. "And how did ye' be hearin' of such things, I wonder?"

Demona held her mouth shut.

"It's my fault," Angela answered softly.

The clan turned to look at her in disbelief.

"I wrote her a letter, months ago," Angela said, not looking anyone in the eyes. "I wanted to tell her that I was mated, and had children. That I was happy… and I mentioned that Father had taken a mate."

Broadway shifted to stand next to Angela, and put a supportive arm around her waist.

"Okay," Brooklyn said, "But how did you know it was Elisa?"

"I have my ways," Demona snarled.

The doors at the end of the long, stone corridor opened, and David Xanatos walked towards the group, a large file folder held in one hand.

"Actually, so do I," Xanatos said. He held the file out toward Goliath. "Pardon the interruption, but I've been doing a little digging of my own."

Goliath took the file, and flipped it open to look at the contents.

"It seems that Ms. Destine has been rebuilding Nightstone Incorporated's foreign field offices in Japan, England and Guatamala for the last few years. She started making arrangements to come back to the States a few months ago, which caught my attention. She reached out to a known, high priced private detective before her flight, and I had a man following him." Xanatos said with a smirk. "Anything that Demona's man found, I have a copy of."

Goliath shuffled through a number of Photos of himself and the clan at night, during their patrols, news reports of the Gargoyle activity in Manhattan and finally a few pictures of him with Elisa.

He paused on the last pictures. The first, one of his wife and their adopted son. It was daytime, and Elisa had taken Liam to a park. She was pushing him on a swing, Liam's face alight with the innocent joy of childhood. The final picture was of the three of them, either on their way to or from the castle. Goliath was holding Elisa with Liam secured in her arms.

The picture was only about a week old.

Goliath couldn't contain his angry growl.

"Mother," Angela gasped, catching sight of the pictures. "What did you do?"

"I'm doing what he is not," Demona snapped. "I'm trying to protect my clan."

"Bang up job you're doing," Broadway bit out. "Protect us? From what?"

"From them," Demona said angrily. "From the humans."

"Really?" Brooklyn couldn't hold it in anymore. "Because from where I stand, you're the one we need to stay away from."

"Brooklyn," Goliath said in his usual quiet, even tone. He placed a supportive hand on his second's shoulder. "It's no use talking to her about this. She will not change her mind."

Brooklyn frowned at Goliath. "What can we do about it? We can't keep her here, locked up, can we?" Brooklyn shook his head, "We can't just let her go, and let her keep attacking Elisa. And what about Liam? Or Skye?"

Demona flinched a little at the new name. Who was Skye?

"Not to mention Brenna and Conner," Broadway said protectively.

"Skye, Brenna and Conner?" Demona said slowly. "Who are they? More humans you have added to your collection?"

Both Brooklyn and Broadway's head turned to her and their eyes lit in their barely controlled anger.

Demona smirked at them. "They are, aren't they? Goliath has brought them into the clan, and has been poisoning your minds with his unquestioning trust in the same humans who would see us dead."

"Enough," Goliath roared. "She stays here, behind bars, where she can't harm anyone else. For now." Turning, he walked towards the doors, the clan following behind.

Only Angela looked back.

Once.


	5. Chapter 5

Thankfully, Elisa had thought ahead, when she'd brought a small gym bag along with her, containing her regular clothes. Once she'd gotten into the exam room of Dr. James' practice, and after Dr. Feel Good had poked, prodded and taken x-rays to be safe, Elisa was grateful to be dressed in something comfortable.

"Do you want the good news, or the bad news?"

Elisa groaned. In her experience, it was never a good sign when anyone in the medical profession started this way.

"Dealer's choice," Elisa said, resigned.

Dr. James smiled at her. He's been her physician for almost six years, and had seen her at her best, her worst, and every state in between. He had treated her through a bout of Pneumonia, a couple of head injuries and even helped her with a case of amnesia after she'd been shot and kidnapped a few years back. He knew how much she hated showing weakness.

"The good news is that your ankle is not broken," He said. "Which is extremely lucky for you, considering the footwear you had been wearing."

"Okay," Elisa nodded. "And the bad news?"

"The bad news is that I'm actually planning a vacation and will be gone for a week, so I'll have to refer you to a colleague of mine to follow up with in a few days to make sure that things are healing like we want."

Elisa waited for a moment before responding, "That's it?"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You want more?"

"No," Elisa hurried to assure him. "I'm just used to you saying, 'Here, take these meds and, oh, by the way, you're not allowed back to work for a week'."

"Not this time." Dr. James laughed. "You have a minor sprain to your ankle. It'll be sore, but not deadly. Over the counter pain relievers and anti-inflammatories would work as well as anything else I can give you. Ice that ankle, and stay off of it as much as you can. I'm going to put you in one of those lovely and stylish "boots" to help keep it stable for the next day or two. You can return to work, just promise me that you'll take it easy on that ankle so you don't hurt it worse."

"You got it," Elisa hurried to agree. She didn't want him to change his mind.

"Now, about those marks on your throat…"

Elisa groaned. Having been lifted off the ground, twice, by her neck had left some bruising on her neck.

"No damage, other than the bruising, but you're going to want to keep it covered," He said, giving her a look, "Unless you have already come up with a story to cover that."

"I tried to rescue a suicidal jumper who decided she didn't want to be saved, grabbed me by the neck, and ran off when Matt got there." Elisa shrugged. "Zapped them twice with the Tasers, which will explain why they were used, but they still were able to get up and ran off. Must have been on drugs."

He sighed, and looked to the ceiling in exasperation. "You have the rest of the night off, correct?" He asked.

"Yes."

"Good. Go up to the castle, put your feet up and let the clan spoil you for a while." He got up to open a drawer, pulling out a square white instant ice pack. He, with many years of practice, deftly broke the chemical packet inside to make it cool off rapidly. "Use this to slow the swelling."

Elisa took the pack and got slowly to her feet. "Thanks, doc."

"I'll be right back with the boot."

Elisa moved back onto the exam table, using the extra length to prop her leg up. She gently placed the ice pack on her ankle, and gritted her teeth against the discomfort of having the added pressure on it. The swelling hadn't been as bad as she'd expected, but it still hurt like hell.

It wasn't the worst injury that she'd gotten from a fight with Demona, but it still hurt.

Dr. James came back into the office, holding the two-tone grey plastic brace.

Once the boot was in place and secured, Elisa hobbled her way to the elevator that would take her upstairs.

When the door opened, a worried looking Broadway led Angela out. Elisa frowned at the now blood-soaked bandage on Angela's upper arm.

"Angela!" Elisa hurried to her side. "What happened?"

Angela sadly shook her head.

Broadway answered for her. "Demona took a swipe at Goliath and Angela got between them."

Elisa grabbed a hold of Angela's free hand. "I'm so sorry."

Broadway motioned to Dr. James' door. "I was hoping that the doctor could help."

"Of course he can," Elisa said. "Broadway, go let him know that we're here, and I'll bring Angela."

Broadway noticed the brace then.

Elisa rolled her eyes. "You'll be faster than me right now. Go catch him."

Broadway nodded, then made his way quickly down the hall.

"Angela," Elisa said softly, still holding her hand. "I'm so sorry that you're stuck in the middle like this."

"She didn't even recognize her grandchildren's names." Angela said, sadly.

Elisa's heart broke a little for her. She reached out and took the female into her arms. "I'm so sorry," She said again.

"No, Elisa, I'm sorry," Angela said on a half sob. "I keep hoping that she'll stop. That she'll be the mother that I had dreamed about while I was growing up on Avalon."

"Angela," Elisa started hesitantly. "It takes more than genetics to make a parent." She placed a supportive arm around Angela's shoulders. "You had a great mother on Avalon. Princess Katherine raised you all the best she knew how to. Do you see her as anything less than a mother?"

Angela clung to the small human. "No."

"What about Liam?" Elisa asked her softly. "Am I any less a mother to him, even though he's not biologically mine?"

Angela's head came up and she stared into Elisa's eyes. "Of course not."

Elisa just smiled. "Family is more than biology. Family is created by love with bonds that are just as strong as blood."

Angela smiled happily. "Thank you," Angela said.

"You're very welcome." Elisa looked up and saw that Broadway was back, but keeping a respectful distance away so that the females could finish talking. "Now," Elisa said, wiping at the moisture that had gathered in her own eyes. "Go have the doctor take a look at that arm."

Broadway hurried forward to take his mate's arm once more.

"Oh, Elisa," Angela said in surprise. "Your leg!"

Elisa rolled her eyes. "I just sprained an ankle. I'm fine. I'm going up to the castle right now to prop it up."

Angela nodded. "The kids are in the playroom with Owen and Skyler. Dad's in the library, I think."

Elisa nodded. "Thanks."

The couple turned back to the waiting clinic, and Elisa was left alone, once more waiting for the elevator.


	6. Chapter 6

Once on the main level of the castle, Elisa made her way to the library.

The good doctor hadn't offered her crutches, probably knowing that she'd fight him over it unless she absolutely needed them. The boot shaped brave kept her ankle stable by not allowing her to bend it, so she had to walk in a funny one legged march. As a result, she was reduced to using the wall to help keep any excess weight off her left ankle.

Finally, she made it to the library. She didn't see Goliath right away. Knowing that he was probably in the far back recesses, where he went to have a few moments alone when he needed to think on something big, Elisa chose to make herself comfortable in one of the overly large recliners.

Elisa extended the foot rest with a sigh of relief. She belt to undo the Velcro strapping that held the "boot" on in order to get the ice pack back on.

Once that task had been accomplished, she leaned back in the chair with a sigh of gratitude. She'd look in on Liam in a bit, but for now, the relief of finally getting off her injured ankle was almost overwhelming.

"Hey, Bug Guy," Elisa raised her voice only slightly. In this cavernous room, one didn't need to speak loudly to be heard in the back. "I'm here."

She heard his footfalls, and knew that he was coming to meet her, and she smiled. No matter how stressful the situation, even if he felt the need to distance himself from the clan as he felt a leader needed to do once in a while, he never distanced himself from her.

Elisa felt the same way. Once, she'd close herself up somewhere, so she didn't spread her thoughts and troubles onto others… but no more. Goliath was her perfect match in more ways than one.

"Elisa," Goliath said, emerging from the darkness. "I did not expect you for a while, yet."

"I got off early for good behavior," Elisa said flippantly.

"I do not think that was the case," He replied, frowning at the contraption on her leg.

"It's nothing, big guy." Elisa said. "I landed wrong in those awful heeled shoes, and sprained my ankle. Just goes to remind me why I prefer my boots. It doesn't really hurt anymore, and it'll be better soon."

Goliath gave her a doubting look, but said nothing. He simply sat on the chair next to her and reached out to take her hand. "I am sorry about what happened."

Elisa frowned. "We haven't seen or heard from Demona in years, Goliath. What set this off?"

Goliath gave a frustrated sigh. "Angela wrote a letter to her just before the twins hatched."

"She still wants her mother to be the mother she had imagined," Elisa said. "I saw her heading in to the doctor about her arm."

"I wish she would give up on that idea," He huffed out angrily.

"Goliath," Elisa said softly. "It's natural for a child to want their parents."

"She is no longer a child," He said, getting to his feet.

"No," She replied. "But she grew up isolated. She was surrounded by humans and gargoyles that she loved and trusted, with the ideals of humans that revolved around having individual parents and siblings. She wanted a family like that, but she wasn't exposed to anything that would prepare her for Demona. Or the Hunters. Or anything else that the outside world has."

Goliath sighed. "Yes, but she has seen enough of Demona to know what she is like."

"Hmmm," Elisa said, thoughtfully. "But did she? Every time they were in close contact, yeah, Demona did some horrible things… but when it came down to it, she protected Angela like a mother should. When it really comes down to it, Angela has seen both the best and the worst, so she might be a little confused about it all."

Goliath quieted, and looked thoughtful. "You might be correct."

"Maybe, now that you have finally accepted being her father," Elisa suggested quietly, "Maybe it's time for you and her to talk. Tell her what Demona was like when you were together in Scotland, what happened to the clan and after you woke up here. Does she even know about Macbeth and their connection?"

"No," He said, answering her question. "Perhaps it is time that we spoke."

"Just be patient with her," Elisa said, reaching out to take his hand.

He smiled down at her. "I will try to be understanding."

"Thank you," Elisa said, smiling up at him.

He leaned down to run his hand through her hair and kissed her gently.

"Go," Elisa shooed him. "Go find her. She needs you right now, even if she won't say so."

He nodded his agreement, then walked quickly from the room. The night was half over, and it was not a short conversation.

And, as selfish as it sounded, he would still like some time with his wife and younger child before the sun would rise.

**-{- ** **-{- ** **-{- ** **-{- ** **-{- **

Angela sat alone in the courtyard of the castle. She had checked on her children, making sure that they were well, before seeking out solitude.

It was ridiculous, really, this need she felt to know her mother. She would never be able to live with the clan again, not after all she'd done… or what Angela had pieced together from various comments that the others had made.

Maybe Elisa was right, and she should just be content with the clan as her family and forget about Demona and any imagined relationship that she had dreamed about. Dreams were for hatchlings, not grown adults.

"Angela," Goliath's voice called out from the doorway.

Angela swiped at the moisture that had gathered in her eyes. "I am here, father," She called in answer.

Goliath approached her and almost hesitantly sat on the bench beside her. "I am sorry that you are hurt."

"It's fine," Angela said sadly.

"It is far from fine," Goliath said gently. He took a deep breath, and plunged in. "I think it is time that I told you about your mother."

Angela's head swung around to face her father. "You've never wanted to speak about her before. Why now?"

"I want you to understand how she once was," He said. "She was not always the angry, destructive thing that she is now."

"What changed her?" Angela asked.

"Let me start at the beginning," Goliath said. "One thousand years ago…"


	7. Chapter 7

Angela wandered aimlessly through the castle.

She had listened to her father telling her stories of her mother, the good and the bad. She understood why her father had first loved Demona, his "angel". She even began to see why the rest of the clan distrusted her so much… if not outright hated her.

She had done a lot of bad things, up to and including the destruction of her original clan.

That had been a hard pill to swallow. No one had bothered to tell her that little bit of history, and it hurt.

She hurt for her clan, for the clan's children who had to grow up without their elders and parents. She hurt for those who never had the chance to see their children hatch and grow.

Selfishly, she hurt for herself. It felt as if all of her childish dreams were crashing down on her. And they were childish, this hope that she would just happen to find her father and he was so wonderful, that her mother could possibly be the same.

Suddenly she found herself heading to the dungeons.

Angela paused for a moment. Maybe now was not the best time to talk with her mother.

Resolutely, she stepped forward.

Maybe now was the perfect time.

Angela opened the heavy wooden doors that led to the updated caged area. The bars and even the keys were solid iron, and had come in handy in more than one instance when the castle had been invaded by those with Fae ancestry. If it could contain the fae, surely it could handle one angry gargoyle.

Slowly, Angela made her way to the cell holding her mother. In front, standing guard, was a large goliath-shaped member of the Xanatos' "Iron Clan". It was fully robotic, heavily armed and never needed to sleep.

A perfect guard for someone who never needed to sleep herself.

Angela approached the cell, and took in the sight of her mother lounging on the small cot inside. Demona lay on her back, her head resting on her clasped hands. She looked for all the world as if she were fully relaxed on vacation in a fancy hotel, or laying by a swimming pool like a human model in a magazine, instead of being help prisoner.

Demona looked towards the cell door disinterestedly, until she realized who was standing there. She rose to her feet quickly and approached the bars.

"Angela," She cried out, "My daughter."

Angela took a step back from the bars, an action that stopped her mother in her tracks.

"Angela?" Demona asked, startled. She had never seen her daughter with such a blank face. Then she noticed the bandage on her arm. "You're hurt!" She raged.

Angela looked at her mother with a combination of hurt and confusion. "You did it," She said softly.

Demona blinked at her.

"You did it," Angela said, a little louder. "You cut my arm open. Don't you remember?"

"I…" Demona trailed off. Honestly, she'd been so enraged at waking up in a cage that a lot of the night was a blur.

"You really don't remember," Angela asked angrily now. "Hurting others means so little to you that you don't even bother to notice anymore. You honestly don't care."

Demona jerked as if she'd been struck. "I don't…"

"You do," Angela cut her off. "You do all the time, and then you seem to always make it someone else's fault."

Demona shut her mouth, not even bothering to defend herself.

"It was you who made the deal with the Captain of the Guard and the Vikings that destroyed the clan long ago," Angela let it all out now. "But you blamed it all on the humans. It was you, though. You're why I had to grow up with only my brothers and sisters, raised by those very humans that you claim to hate. Raised by humans that you would gladly destroy for no other reason than your misplaced anger and guilt.

"And it is guilt," Angela insisted. "It has to be the guilt driving that hatred. And then you team up with humans whenever it suits your purposes, and why? To get some kind of reaction from your clan to turn on them when they woke up here? I want to understand," She cried out in frustration. "But I can't and I suppose that won't ever change. I can't make myself hate anyone that much."

She leaned as close to the bars as she dared, and stared her mother in the eyes. "I will not become like you."

Demona sneered. "You have it all figured out, don't you."

"Tell me where I'm wrong," She begged. "Tell me."

Demona shut her mouth and stubbornly remained silent.

"That's what I thought," Angela said sadly. "It was a mistake, writing that letter. I only wrote the one letter, and it was a mistake. I wanted to let you know that I was mated. That I was happy."

"To the fat, brainless one," Demona snarled.

"To the one who has my heart," Angela snarled back. "To the father of my children."

Demona reeled back. "Children? Impossible. It takes ten years for eggs to hatch."

"I was raised on Avalon," Angela pointed out. "Time moves differently there, and evidently I brought some of that magic with me. I have two children. Twins."

"Twins?"

"Which you would know about if you had actually read the whole letter," Angela said, tiredly. "But you didn't. You couldn't get past the part with Father and him finally being happy."

"With a human!"

"Yes," Angela snapped, finally realizing for the first time just how far her mother lived outside of reality. "A human. One who makes him happy, who has accepted us all and protected us past the point where most would have walked away long ago. She literally saved my life when the Hunters shot me. She kept my heart beating until sunrise, so that I could heal in stone sleep. She has been more of a mother figure to me than you are. Than you will ever be."

Demona jerked as if she'd been slapped. "You don't mean that," She gasped.

"I do," Angela said. "I'm not saying it to hurt you, but I'm finding it harder and harder to care. With all the anger in your heart, the constant betrayals and attacks on those that I hold dear, I…" Angela took a deep breath. "I want you to leave. Go away, and never come back. I won't ever seek you out, and hope that you would do the same. Just leave, and leave us all alone to live our lives."

Demona stood to her full height. "That is hard to do, since I'm stuck in here."

"I will talk to everyone, and see if I can convince them that letting you go would be best." Angela unconsciously mirrored her mother's stance. "In return, I want you to swear to me that you will leave. You will go back to Europe and stay away from Manhattan. You will leave us all alone, and you will never contact your grandchildren."

Demona looked away jerkily. After almost a full minute, she raised her head once more. "Fine," she said roughly. "You free me, and you will never see me again."

Angela nodded her head once, then turned to leave.

"Angela?" Demona called out, a tinge of desperation in her voice.

Angela stopped, but didn't turn.

"What are their names?" Demona asked in a quiet voice. "Your children."

Angela hesitated, but finally answered "Conner and Brenna."

Heart hurting, Angela walked away from her mother.


	8. Chapter 8

Elisa was still in the library when Angela got there only minutes after making the promise to her … to Demona.

Elisa looked up and saw Angela enter. She saw the look on Angela's face, and simply opened her arms to the young Gargoyle.

"Oh, Elisa," Angela all but dove at her friend.

Angela laid her head on Elisa's lap and sobbed.

Elisa stroked her hair and let her cry.

Such as was the ways between mothers and daughters when heartbreak was involved.

In that moment, Angela realized that what she's tossed at her mother had been true. She hadn't lied to Demona. She really had started to think of Elisa as a mother figure. It was a little odd, considering their relative ages, but Elisa was everything that Demona hadn't been.

Everything the Demona would probably never be.

And she was starting to understand that now.

Long after her sobs had quieted, Angela knelt there and allowed herself to be comforted.

-{- -{- -{- -{- -{- -{-

Angela didn't get to talk to the clan the same night that she'd talked with Demona. It had taken her a while to think through how to approach everyone, and by that time it was so near sunrise that she felt it best to wait.

It wasn't until the following night before she could bring herself to talk about it to her clan. She expected some resistance, and she wasn't disappointed.

"What?" Brooklyn shouted. "We just let her go?"

"We can't keep her here forever," Angela pointed out. "And it _would_ be forever, if we did."

"Yeah," Broadway said, thoughtfully. "The whole immortal Macbeth connection."

"It matters not," Goliath said, harshly. "She is a danger to us all, should she get out."

"Father," Angela said, "She has given me her word that she will leave, and will not come back to Manhattan."

"Yeah," Brooklyn said sarcastically, "because her word means so much."

"Forgive us, Lass," Hudson said, coming to Angela's side and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "But Demona has not proven herself trustworthy in the last few years."

"I know that," Angela huffed out. "But we can banish her like in the old times. Maybe Xanatos can take her to the airport during the day, when she's human, and make sure she gets on a plane to somewhere else."

"We let her go," Broadway began hesitantly, "And we see her leave. What keeps her for coming back again? What if she comes after Elisa again? Or Skyler?" Broadway took his mate's hands in his, his eyes pleading for her to understand his feelings. "What if she comes after the children?"

"So we, what?" Angela said angrily, all but yanking her hands from his. "We can't kill her. We can't keep her here indefinitely. What if word spreads that she's here? Then what? She's out anyway. If it is made clear that she can not come back by all of us, then taken to the airport and escorted onto a plane, then maybe she will stay away this time."

The rest of the clan grew silent, each caught up in their own thoughts.

Elisa stood in the back, staying silent. Yes, she could add in her own thoughts, but this was Angela's decision. Her fight to be heard.

Angela rarely spoke out against the clan's decisions, and the fact that she was now and sticking to her guns was holding weight with them all.

Elisa didn't want to do anything to lessen the impact, but she was confused on one thing.

"Put her on a plane to where?" Elisa asked.

"Xanatos was tracking her for a while," Lexington said quietly from his perch on the wall beside her. "He told us last night that she has Nightstone office in a few other countries now."

Elisa frowned. "Like where?"

Lexington had to think for a minute. "Uh, Japan, England and South America I think."

Elisa felt her back straighten in surprise. "Lexington, are you sure?"

"I think so," He ran a hand over his head. "Why?"

"Goliath!" Elisa called out, interrupting whatever conversation had been going on.

His head turned to her, and she motioned him over.

"Goliath," Elisa said, urgently, "Demona has been working in other countries?"

Goliath nodded. "Why?"

"Japan, England and South America?" Elisa pushed. "As in Ishimura, London and Guatamala?"

She could see when it finally hit him.

Elisa nodded. "She's just handily putting offices in countries where we know there are other Gargoyle clans? What has she been doing?"

"That is a good question," Goliath said, thoughtfully. "I had not made the connection."

"Maybe," Elisa said slowly, "maybe that's something that we should find out before letting her out."

"Agreed," Goliath said. "But how should we go about finding it out?"

Elisa smiled. "I think I can help with that."

-{- -{- -{- -{- -{- -{-

Because it was night in Manhattan, it was 9:00 p.m. in New York, it was just before noon in Ishimura. She wouldn't be able to talk to the Gargoyles, but she could reach out to Hiroshi, the village police constable.

It wasn't easy, tracking down an international phone number for such an isolated Japanese village. Elisa grew frustrated a few minutes in, then Lexington took over.

Within mere moments, Lexington had gotten her the contact numbers for both Hiroshi as well as the London Clan's magic shop, Into The Mystic.

Finally, Elisa managed to get Hiroshi on the phone. After a few minutes of small talk, Elisa finally got to the point.

"Hiroshi," Elisa said, "I have someone here that I believe may have been there recently and reached out to you or the Gargoyles. I'm hoping that you might know her?"

"Well, Elisa, I will try my best to help." He assured her. "Can you give me a name and a description?"

"Her name is Dominique Destine, and she works with a company called Nightstone."

There was a brief hesitation on his end, and Elisa caught it. "Hiroshi," She said, urgently. "Please. What do you know?"

"Ms. Destine was here," He admitted. "She and her Gargoyle companion said that they were from the United States, from the same place as you and Goliath."

"She is," Elisa admitted herself. "But she's not with our clan."

"Oh," He said. "She was very convincing, and seemed to know you all. She has been in talks with the Gargoyles here, but I'm afraid that I can't tell you what they were about."

"You don't know?" Elisa said, surprised.

"No," He said heavily. "I hope that the Gargoyles are not in any trouble."

"Hiroshi, I hate to sound so urgent about this, but I need to speak to Kai when he wakes."

"I will help him contact you," Hiroshi promised. "The moment the clan awakens."

"Thank you." Elisa said.

Replacing the telephone on its cradle, Elisa idly rubbed at her still tender ankle and frowned thoughtfully. Demona had met with the Ishimura clan? What about?

Resolutely, Elisa picked up the telephone again.

She dialed the number for the Mystic shop. It was 10:00 p.m. now, but only 3:00 a.m. in London, so she had a good chance to catch the London Clan at their shop.

After five rings, Elisa's ears were met with a recorded message. She took a deep breath. She had to keep it neutral, non-specific but let them know to call back as soon as they could.

"Hello," She started. "This message is for Leo and Una. This is Elisa Maza from the United States. We met a few years ago, and I hope you remember me. I hate to bother you so late, but it is a bit of an emergency. Could you please call me back at…"

Elisa left the number, then hung up the phone. While she waited to see if they would call back, Elisa had a moment to think.

What was Demona up to? She had spent years where she could have been anywhere, done anything, and she had been to three of the places that there were known Gargoyle clans.

Granted, Ishimura was fairly isolated, but after the whole "Gargoyle Theme Park" mess, rumors surrounding the clan there surfaced more and more often.

Meanwhile, the London clan was both the best and worst secret that Soho had to offer. The Magic shop's popularity was continuing to grow, while the crime in the area had a sudden and constant decrease. Reports of the "monsters" grew more frequent, but no one dared do anything against them, since they seemed to be policing the streets.

The phone at Elisa's elbow rang. She answered it and it was a relief to hear a familiar voice on the other end.

"Griff!" Elisa greeted.

"Elisa," He greeted. "It has been years! How are you all doing?"

"We're fine! Last I heard, you were touring around with King Arthur."

"We still are," Griff chuckled. "We like to come back to London, whenever Avalon allows us to do so."

"I know how that is," Elisa said.

"Now then," Griff said, "I understand that you're having a bit of an emergency. How can I be of service?"

Elisa went through some minor small talk as she had with Hiroshi, before starting with the questions.

"Well, now," Griff said, thoughtfully. "I have not been here that long this time. Give me a few moments to find Una. She will be able to answer your questions."

Elisa tapped her fingers against the desk she sat at, and idly glanced around. It hadn't been that long ago that the thought of being in David Xanatos' personal offices was enough to give her the shivers. Still… it was a plush office, and amazing view and she was sitting in an office chair that probably cost what she made in a year...possibly two.

"Elisa," Una's voice came on the line.

"Hello, Una."

"Griff told me what you were asking about, and I think I may be able to help you…"


	9. Chapter 9

"She what?" came the collective gasp of the Manhattan clan.

They were outside in the open courtyard, so the raised voices wasn't quite as deafening as it could have been had they been in close quarters.

The night was crisp and clear, a typical October evening. Elisa shoved her hands in her pockets to help protect the cooling skin.

"She reached out to the London Clan almost a year ago," Elisa repeated. "Until I talk to someone with the Ishimuran Clan, I don't know if it's for the same reason, but Una said that Demona was working on creating some kind of Gargoyle Council."

"For what purpose?" Goliath asked.

"Well," Elisa started slowly, "Since that night a few years ago with the Hunters and Saint Damien's church, the existence of Gargoyles in the world isn't exactly a secret anymore. Una said that Demona was very convincing about the fact that now that the clan is out, the others should step forward to make their presence known."

"But why?" Lexington asked, a look of horrified confusion crossing his features.

"I got the gist of it from Una," Elisa said. "And I think I understand the main idea. If all of the Gargoyles came forward, and had a collective governing body, one that could control what the gargoyles could and could not do, it might be a little less scary to the humans."

There was a moment of silence as everyone let the idea sink in.

"For what it's worth," Elisa said quietly, "It isn't a bad idea. It could offer you all a measure of added protection and would keep you all from being so isolated and alone. If there are more dangers like the Hunters or Quarrymen out there, you would be able to warn each other and pass along information quickly."

"That does sound like a good plan, and very unlike Demona," Hudson thought aloud. "But, who would lead such a thing?"

"I asked Una the same thing," Elisa admitted. "I was afraid that Demona was putting the thoughts in everyone's heads that she should be the leader."

"Yeah," Brooklyn said, the sarcasm fairly dripping from every syllable. "Can't see how that could possibly go wrong."

"Una said," Elisa continued, ignoring the outburst, "That she had asked Demona about the leadership, suspecting the same thing. Demona declined the role of leader, but had a suggestion..." Elisa trailed off, not knowing how this next bit was going to go over with them.

"Who?" Broadway asked.

"Goliath," Elisa said, looking at her husband. "She was suggesting you, Goliath."

He jerked in surprise. "Me? Why me?"

"You were the one who went on the world tour with the Avalon skiff," Angela pointed out. "You were the one who went around the world, finding multiple clans. You saved Griff from being lost by going through the time stream. You saved the gargoyles in Japan by helping them escape from that amusement park."

"Ye found the eggs on Avalon," Hudson said. He had heard the stories of Goliath's time being tossed around by Avalon's whims.

"And the Olympians," Broadway said. "They weren't Gargoyles, though."

"You led us to defeat Oberon," Angela said. "A few times."

"They…we…would want the best of the best in charge," Brooklyn said.

Elisa remained quiet. She'd had a bad feeling about this, and was hesitant to bring it up herself. She wondered, though, when someone else would.

"I am not the best," Goliath said gruffly.

"Let us and the others be the judge of that," Hudson said.

"We could have an election…" Lexington said.

"With a representative from each clan," Angela said excitedly.

"Our own Gargoyle UN," Brooklyn said.

"And maybe, if there are more clans that we don't know about yet," Broadway said, "They'll be able to come forward."

Quietly, Elisa walked back inside the castle, leaving the group still talking excitedly outside. Yes, Goliath was the best for the job, and that wasn't just her bias getting in the way.

He was kind, fair and loyal. If there were to be a Gargoyle coalition, Goliath would be amazing at it.

There was only one thing that could potentially ruin his chances for such a position… and it was her.

The gargoyles that she had met were all very much still holding on to the old ways, and that did not include having a human mate.

It was possible that they could accept Liam. They were supposed to protect humans, after all, and if Goliath had found an abandoned and abused child, it would be understandable for him to have taken the child in.

But she was doubtful that the clans, no matter how "progressive", would accept him taking a human mate.


	10. Chapter 10

Elisa retreated back to the library. It was nearing midnight now, and with the night half over, she was thankful that she'd managed to get the night off.

With Stephen and Matt to cover, Maria let her off for the night to help her stay off her ankle for at least 24 hours.

Elisa had managed to stay off it for about eight. Just long enough to sleep. She put the ankle up as often as she could throughout the day, but it wasn't much, admittedly. That being said, she'd ditched the "boot" while she'd been making her phone calls. It had been hot and uncomfortable.

Her ankle still protested her full weight, but if she took smaller steps it was only a mild discomfort.

After checking in on Liam, who was down for his midnight nap, Elisa came here, to the library. It was quiet here, and she could think.

Once upon a time, only a few years ago actually, before she and Goliath had gotten married, Elisa had feared something like this. She had protested their marriage, not because she didn't love him, but because she was afraid of something like this. Afraid that their relationship would hold him back, or damage the way future gargoyles would see him.

As the leader of the Gargoyle council, if he were elected into that position, how would the others view their relationship? With fear? Hate?

If that was what happened, would Goliath come to resent her?

She didn't think she could stand it if that happened.

Maybe they could hide it… Let the other clans remain thinking that they were still just good friends. She could handle that, but was afraid that Goliath wouldn't be willing to do it.

Elisa was still curled up on the couch when she felt a large, familiar hand on her shoulder. She jumped a little, having been so deep in those traitorous "What If" thoughts, that she'd failed to hear anyone enter.

"My apologies, my love," Goliath said softly. "I did not realize that you had not heard me."

"It's alright, Big Guy," Elisa said, straightening up to free up couch room and smiling a little. "I was just thinking."

"About what?" He asked, perching on the portion of the couch that she had cleared for him.

"Oh, just… Things." Elisa evaded.

Goliath frowned a little. She was not telling him something.

Elisa sighed. "It's not anything that I want to trouble you with, Goliath. Not right now. You have enough on your mind."

"But you will tell me?" Goliath pushed a little.

"I will," Elisa promised. "Just as soon as I have it all settled in my head."

"Does it have anything to do with this council?"

"Some," Elisa admitted.

"It is an interesting idea," Goliath mused. "However, the fact that it was Demona's idea… I have to wonder."

Elisa nodded her understanding. "I still think that a council would be a good idea… but it makes me a little uneasy as well, knowing that it was Demona's idea. I mean… What's in it for her? She travels the world, gathers up groups of Gargoyles and bands them together for what purpose?"

"She did not want to lead them," Goliath pointed out.

"Or so she claimed," Elisa shot back. "When was the last time she looked out for anyone except herself? Well… Herself and Angela, but even then…"

"I, too, wonder at her motives," Goliath said thoughtfully.

"She talks to Angela," Elisa said slowly. "Maybe Angela would be able to find something out."

"I do not wish to demand daughter to interrogate Demona," Goliath grumbled.

"I don't think you will have to," Elisa said. "I think she'll try to do it on her own. She went to talk to her last night alone."

Goliath growled in frustration.

"Angela's smart, and tougher than I think you all give her credit for." Elisa said. "Yes, she's a little emotional at times, but so am I. It's a female thing," Elisa waved that away. She was not up for a discussion on females and hormones. "But I think that you'll be surprised with her willingness to do this. She's her father's daughter," Elisa said with a smile. "She wants to protect her clan."

Goliath let out a heavy sigh. "Very well...But I don't want her to be alone when she talks to Demona."

"Of course not," Elisa hurried to assure him. "But who do we send? She won't talk about it with you, the trio are all a little too angry with her. We could send Hudson, I guess."

Goliath nodded. "That would work well."

"Okay," Elisa said getting to her feet. "I'll go talk to Angela." She leaned down and gave Goliath a quick kiss on the brow. "You go ahead and stay here and relax. I know you have some big thoughts rolling around in your head, so take your time. I'll come back in a little while."

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

"I will go speak to my mother, but I don't want to take Hudson," Angela said stubbornly.

Elisa was surprised. "Why not?"

"Mother has an…" Angela searched for the word, "She doesn't hate males, necessarily, but she seems to take great pleasure at antagonizing them, and we still wouldn't get any useful information."

"Fair point," Elisa said. "But I agree with Goliath, and I would feel better if you have someone with you."

"What about you?" Angela asked, inspired.

"Uh," Elisa stuttered.

"It's perfect!" Angela said. "She openly dislikes you, and wants nothing more than to brag about her plans in front of you. She's bound to let something slip."

"Let's not start off with a fireworks show," Elisa paused. She had a bad feeling that this wasn't going to go according to Angela's plan, but Elisa was willing to give it a shot. "How about I come with you, as backup, but I stay out of sight unless you need me."

Angela nodded. "Agreed."

"Alright, Angela, I'll go with you." Elisa checked her watch. "It's getting pretty close to sunrise, though. If we're going to do this tonight, we'd better get to it."

Angela nodded, and walked with Elisa to the elevators.


	11. Chapter 11

The two women exited the elevators on the lowest floor of the original castle, the floor that housed the dungeons. There really weren't many of the holding cells, only four now, and Elisa couldn't help but wonder how many there had been when the castle had still been in use in Scotland.

There were large, almost cavernous rooms in the back that had been the Clan's rookery. She'd been there a few times, after Angela had her egg, but this whole level just gave her the shivers for some unknown reason.

Elisa allowed Angela to lead the way, taking advantage of her height to remain unseen as long as possible.

She was sure that Demona was going to blow a gasket if she knew Elisa was there, but which way the fallout would land was the mystery. Either Demona would spill everything she knew, or she'd try to go on a rampage.

"Who's there?" Came the familiar angry snarl.

"It's me, mother," Angela called back.

"Angela?" Demona called out, suddenly all sweetness.

Elisa put her hand on Angela's arm. When Angela met her eyes, Elisa held a finger to her lips in the universal sign to not say anything. Elisa turned sideways, and leaned against the bars of the neighboring cell, just out of Demona's line of vision.

Angela nodded her understanding, and walked forward to where her mother was being held.

"Come daughter," Demona held her hand forward through the bars. "Come tell me of what you discussed with the clan. Did they agree to your plan?"

"Not quite yet," Angela said. "We found out what you were doing with your "business trips" around the world. We talked to Una in London."

Demona's arm slowly dropped to her side. "I see."

"I don't," Angela said softly. "What were you hoping to accomplish?"

"After the events the night at the cathedral, I left Manhattan for a time." Demona said, sitting on the edge of her cot, closest to the bars. "I had hoped the news coverage would die off, but it only got more and more visible. And it wasn't just Manhattan, but all over the world." Demona ran a taloned hand through her perpetually disheveled red hair. "I thought that if the surviving Gargoyles from around the world got together and made their presence known, that it would offer all of us a kind of protection."

Angela nodded. That had been one of the theories that the clan had discussed. "If it was your idea, why didn't you offer yourself up as the leader for the council? Why suggest father?"

"Because most of the clans I was able to find already knew him, and respected all that he'd done in the time they had spent with him." Demona's tail flicked in agitation. "If there's one thing that Goliath can do well, it is to convince others to follow him."

Angela frowned. "You make that sound like a bad thing."

"It is when they blindly follow him," Demona huffed out.

"Father is thinking it over," Angela said. "But he is hesitant about being the leader over the council."

"Of course," Demona snarled. "After all my hard work, Goliath goes and mates with a human. None of the clans would have him as a council leader now, even if he wanted to. Except this clan, evidently," Demona ground out through clenched teeth. "The next thing you know, the other males in this clan will all be marrying humans, and this clan will fade from existence."

Elisa closed her eyes, but remained still and silent. It was no less than what she'd been thinking… but to hear it come from Demona's lips, well… it hurt.

Angela's gaze involuntarily flicked to where Elisa stood.

Demona stiffened. "Who else is here?" She demanded.

Angela flinched.

"Who?" Demona shouted.

Elisa decided that the time for talking was over.

"Hey Demona," Elis said lightly, stepping into view.

"What are you doing here?" Demona shrieked.

It was time for the meltdown...and from the sounds of it, it was going to be full on nuclear.

"Relax, Demona," Elisa said with a tired sigh. "I just came to keep an eye on Angela in case she needed help. It was either me or one of the guys."

Demona let out a furious roar, her wings unfurling to touch the opposite walls of her cell, her eyes glowing the blood red color that only the females exhibited.

"When all of this falls apart," Demona snarls, "Just know that it will be all your fault, human."

Elisa started to say a number of things, but she'd learned a long time ago that Demona wouldn't listen. She would hear only what she wanted to, and infer the rest. In the end, Elisa decided to not speak to Demona again in case she only made the situation worse.

Elisa turned to Angela. "I think you've gotten all the explanation from her that you're going to get. Let's go tell the clan," Elisa said. "They need all of the information before they decide what is to be done."

"Yes," Angela nodded. "I believe that you are right. There is still a bit of time before the sun rises." She turned to her seething mother, "I will come and see you as soon as a decision is made."

Angela turned to make her way back the way they'd come, and Elisa walked behind her.

They had almost gotten out of Demona's sight, when Demona pointed her finger at Elisa and quickly chanted:

"Spatium vincula transfer

Spiritus adsurgere in

Complecti

Fuit prius."

A green beam of magic shot from her hand, and the light surrounded Elisa.

Elisa gasped, then her whole body seemed to relax. She was still standing, but her eyes lost their focus. Her shoulders slumped, and even her spine seemed to go loose. Elisa's head dropped forward, but she'd somehow managed to stay on her feet.

"Elisa!" Angela cried, running towards the human. "Elisa?" Angela shook the woman's shoulders and got no reaction.

"What did you do?" Angela turned and snarled at her mother.

Demona shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. "I simply sent her into a state of unconsciousness. Her body will come to no harm here," She said with a smirk, "Unless someone harms it on purpose."

"But why?" Angela asked, her voice rising in panic. "Why would you do that? She was helping me convince the others to let you go!"

"And why would she do that?" Demona smirked.

"Because I asked her to," Angela shot her way. "Because she cares about the clan, and because for some reason, she was actually thinking that you were gathering the Gargoyles from around the world for a good purpose."

Angela tried to shake her friend's shoulders, calling her name once more to get her to snap out of her stupor.

"That won't work," Demona said.

"Can you undo it?" Angela shouted at her mother. "Whatever you have done, you must know how to undo it."

"I could," Demona said slowly. "But the reversal spell is written in a book at my home here in Manhattan."

"And we would have to release you to let you get it," Angela spat out. "Like I would trust you to return now!"

"Angela!" Demona argued. "You want your human to survive? You want the Gargoyle council to work? You need me, and you need me outside this cage."

"You think so?" Angela bit out. "You may have started a few of the other gargoyle clans thinking about a council, but it doesn't need you. None of us _need _you."

"Then let your human die," Demona said, with an indifferent wave of her hand. "She is in a form of deep sleep. She is neither awake, nor truly asleep. She will continue to breathe, but will be unable to eat or drink. The choices are either let me out and I will cure her, or watch her wither away."

Angela stared at her mother in horror. "You would really just let Elisa die, wouldn't you?"

Demona didn't answer, just retreated to her cot.

Angela, tears of hurt and fury clouding her vision, picked the limp form of her friend up and ran for the elevators. This was the result of magic. There was no shortage of magic users that she had met in the past few years. A couple of them even lived here in the castle.

Surely one of them could help, Angela thought helplessly.


	12. Chapter 12

"She's stable," Doctor James said. "If her eyes weren't open, I would just assume she was asleep."

"She's not, though," Angela admitted roughly.

"No, she's not. Have you told Goliath, yet?" the doctor asked gently.

"I… I can't," Angela admitted.

"I can call up to the castle and talk to him," He said, gently. "You stay here with Elisa. If anything changes before I get back, push the big red button just beside the bed on the wall. That will send and alert, and I will come running."

Angela nodded, and watched helplessly as he left the room to go talk to her father.

She couldn't talk to him. She hadn't cast the spell, but it was her fault that Elisa was there in the first place.

She had asked Elisa to come to the dungeon to speak to Demona. It had been a truly selfish idea, since she knew that she could handle her mother herself. She had wanted the company and support of a good friend when she told her mother to leave and never come back.

And look what had happened, Angela thought sadly.

The door behind her crashed into the wall behind her with such a force that Angela feared for the hinges holding to thing up.

"Elisa," Goliath roared his fear. He ran forward to take her limp hand in his. He ran a taloned hand over her forehead, carefully pushing her hair away from her face.

Elisa didn't react, staring blankly at the ceiling above her hospital bed.

"What happened?" He ground out the question.

"Elisa went with me to question mother," Angela explained about what Demona had said about the spell that she'd cast. "I'm so sorry, father, I shouldn't have asked her to come with me."

"Demona," Goliath snarled.

"Father," Angela hurried, "Demona said that she has a reversal spell in one of her books at her home. If we can get her there, she could find the spell and we could wake Elisa up."

"No," Goliath threw out the idea. "We can not trust Demona. I had hoped that you would have learned that by now, daughter."

Angela hung her head in defeat. The clan had been trying to tell her for years that Demona was not to be trusted, but she still had a hope that her mother would be able to come back to the clan.

Now, finally, she understood that it was impossible. Even if Elisa survived this, Goliath would never allow Demona close enough to hurt his mate again.

"Yes, father," Angela said quietly. "I do understand that now."

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Skyler was playing hide and seek with the kids in the giant playroom in the castle in an effort to wear them out. What they said about kids and full moons knew what they were talking about… especially when the kids were nocturnal.

Something was in the air tonight, and all five of the kids were feeling it. From the moment they'd waken, the twins had been hyper, Liam had been slightly cranky, and the Xanatos boys were fighting in the way that siblings did.

With the Xanatos adults busy with a business emergency overseas, they were stuck in video feed meetings, making phone calls and overall being aggravated. They had needed Owen's assistance, so that left her to watch the kiddos.

Skyler called for a break, and the kids seemed settled enough to keep themselves occupied. In a room that held every imaginable toy, puzzle board game and every video game system known to man… some she suspected hadn't been released to the public yet… the kids finally found something to do that would let her rest for a few precious minutes.

She sank into the rocking chair, exhausted.

There was something in the air tonight, and it was nagging at her. She just had a feeling…

The nursery door opened, and Brooklyn poked his head in. The kids hadn't noticed, so Brooklyn held a finger to his lips and waved Skyler over.

She was puzzled. Brooklyn loved hanging out with the kids.

Especially when they were just a little extra rowdy.

Skyler got up, and walked to the door. She opened it a little wider so that she could see him.

"Brooklyn," She said, quietly, "What's going…Ooof." The last came out in a huff of air as Brooklyn grabbed her, pulled her the rest of the way out the door and held her tightly.

"Brooklyn? What's going on?" Skyler asked against his chest, getting worried.

"I just needed to see you," He said.

"Brooklyn, You're scaring me," Skyler said, her voice shaking a little despite her best efforts to hide it. "What is happening?"

"There's a situation," He said gruffly, before letting her go. He looked her in the eyes, "I need you to promise that you'll stay here with the kids. They aren't in any danger, and neither are you, but the rest of us have… something to deal with."

Skyler wasn't sure she believed him. He was holding something back, and judging by the sadness in his eyes, it was something big.

"Alright," Skyler said, slowly. "I will stay here until someone comes to relieve me. Do the kids sleep in their own rooms, or would you prefer that we all stay in the same room at all times?"

"Uhhh," He obviously hadn't thought about that.

"Never mind," Skyler said with a wave of her hand. "We'll have one big sleepover. I'll make popcorn, and we'll watch movies and eat junk food. Don't worry about us," She smiled at him, and placed a hand against the side of his head. "You go. Take care of what you need to, and come back here to let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

Brooklyn hugged her tightly once more. He didn't want to admit how seeing Elisa and Goliath like this wore on him. Constant waves of enemies and fighting, and now Demona striking out because of their relationship. Brooklyn worried about that more than he cared to think about.

Because the thought that someday, Skyler could be injured, and laying in the infirmary like Elisa hurt.

He could only guess at how Goliath was feeling right now.

Reluctantly, Brooklyn let go of Skyler. "You'd better go keep the little monsters busy."

Skyler smiled, gave him a quick kiss, then went back into the playroom.

He cared for Skyler, and would do anything to keep her safe.

Anything.


	13. Chapter 13

"So the plan is to take Demona to her house during the daylight, when she's in human form," David Xanatos said, all business. "She will remain in handcuffs, and completely surrounded by the Iron Clan to avoid further spell casting on anyone else."

Goliath gave a tight nod.

"In the meantime," Fox Xanatos continued, "Doctor James will be monitoring Elisa here. He has her hooked up to any and all available means of machinery, so if she so much as blinks oddly, he'll know about it."

"Skyler will be watching over the youngest of the children," David said, "While Owen and Alexander continue to try to find something on their own to reverse whatever spell that Demona used."

"I wish I could remember the words," Angela snarled.

"That could potentially be helpful," Owen said, as wooden as ever. "But ultimately, it comes down to magic. I can only turn into Puck if I were training Alexander. Today, we will be learning how to dispel both fae and non-fae magic, and we will hopefully be able to figure it out on our own."

The clan, subdued with their somber mood, nodded their understanding of the plan. With the sky already starting to lighten with the coming sunrise. They would have no choice but to go into stone sleep for the day, leaving their allies to take care of what needed to be done to protect the clan and care for Elisa.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

While the clan was gathered in David Xanatos' office, Elisa stretched and rubbed her hands over her face.

Her head felt fuzzy, her eyes gritty, and her body ached. It was like the world's worst hangover, except she knew damn well that she hadn't been drinking.

She groaned. The last thing she remembered was…following Angela back up to the castle. Is that where she was?

She opened her eyes to find… nothing. She rose from her laying position to find she'd been laying on nothing. All around her was a bluish fog. She felt a solid surface under her feet, she was standing on something, but there was no actual floor.

Where was she?

"Nell?" came an unfamiliar male voice, echoing as if from a distance.

Elisa looked around, trying to see where the voice came from.

Suddenly, a section of the fog cleared, and Elisa could begin to see shapes and colors. The first thing she was able to make out was a pair of dust covered brown leather shoes.

The vision tilted, as if the person who was actually seeing this was moving upright. There was a loud thus and a groan.

"Ow," came a melodic female voice.

Elisa flinched as she, too, felt the bump to her head. What was going on?

The owner of the shoes chuckled, and bent over to come into her vision.

"Wake up, sleepy head," the voice said. "The sun is coming up."

As Elisa watched the scene, it started as a movie screen. Slowly, it took over her vision, and it was almost as if she merged into it.

The view tilted again, and Elisa found that the girl was crawling along the ground.

Elisa tried to look around her, but sound that while she was able to see and hear…and feel apparently, Elisa thought ruefully, still rubbing at the throb on her forehead... what this girl did, she was unable to control anything.

Not her movements, not her speech.

She was simply along for the ride.

"Och," The girl said, "Why do ye have to wake me like that?"

The boy grinned. "Tis not my fault that you slept under your cart last night."

"It was so nice out last night. I love sleeping outside," The girl, Nell, said. "It looks like it might rain now, though."

"Tis the highlands," The boy said. "Tis always looking like rain here."

"Nell!" Came stern shout.

The girl cringed a little, before turning to meet the wizened face of an old man. His face, rough with years of sun and time, was wrinkled and set into what looked to be a permanent scowl.

"Yes, Motshan?" Nell replied.

"I found this plague-ridden creature in my wagon, again, playing with the herbs and medicine bottles," He shoved a scruffy-looking cat into Nell's arms. "If I find him in there again, I will give him to Cook to make a soup."

With that, he stormed away.

The girl stroked the agitated cat, calming it down. As the cat settled into her arms and began a deep purr, Nell turned back to the boy.

Elisa studied him. He was tall, with long dark hair that was tied back out of his face. He had a deep tan, giving his skin a deep olive tone. He had a smattering of small, almost imperceptible freckles across the bridge of his nose. He wasn't bad looking, but he still appeared very… young.

How old was he? 15? 16?

For that matter, how old was Nell?

And what language were they speaking? It definitely had a hint of either Irish or Scottish… but it wasn't a language she'd hear before.

As she thought it, the answer formed in her mind. It was a form of Shelta, the secret language of the gypsies that traveled the roads in this part of the world.

Elisa could only assume that it was her link to Nell that allowed her to understand it at all.

"I think he means it, this time," The boy said, jerking his head at Motshan's back. "He sounded more stern than normal.

Nell hugged her cat. "Nay. Motshan loves Danior. I have seen Motshan scratching his head more than once. He sneaks my kitty food sometimes, too. Motshan doesn't want to look like he's gone soft, is all," Nell said.

"You'd better pack up," The boy said. "We're leaving soon."

"Patrin," Nell asked. "How long until we reach the castle?"

"Not long," He assured her, giving her shoulders a squeeze. "Go, clean up a bit." He said, pushing her towards the lake. "I'll get your things."

"Thank ye," Nell said, placing her cat into the back of the enclosed, brightly painted wooden wagon.

Nell hurried to the lake, and scooped up water in her hands to splash on her face.

Elisa wished the girl would take a moment to stop and look into the water. Elisa would love to know what Nell looked like.

Then again, Elisa decided that it didn't matter. She was going to wake up any moment, and tell Goliath all about this crazy dream.

Any moment now…


	14. Chapter 14

David and Fox waited until the Gargoyle clan had gone into their stone hibernation before setting their own plan into motion.

With her shady past and ability to get into any building, Fox would meet a team of movers at Demona's house, and have them crate up and move anything that looked as if it contained a spell.

Books, scrolls, personal diaries… anything. If it was printed in, written on or doodled with crayon, it was coming to the castle.

It would all be packed up and moved here to the castle, where David would transport it all to the dungeons.

From there, Demona could point to what she needed. And they would fetch it for her.

They didn't trust her to not try to escape if they let her out of that iron barred cell, leaving Elisa in the state she was in.

Of course, giving Demona anything with a magical connotation to it was just asking for trouble… but what choice did they have?

Elisa had been moved into a private room in the castle. She was hooked up to an IV line that was giving her fluids to fight off dehydration, and a tube that was giving her nutrients to keep her body going.

Other than blinking, Elisa hadn't reacted to anything, however.

Puck and Alex had taken a crack at reversing the spell, but, much to the irritation of the Fae, they were unable to undo whatever spell Demona had cast.

"The movers will be there in three hours," Fox said, consulting her watch. "I can be there in thirty minutes, and can start going through the house and getting things together.

"Are you sure that you wouldn't like me to come along?" David asked.

"You're needed here," Fox said softly. She gave him a quick kiss to the cheek, then walked swiftly through the door.

David walked down the hallway, stopping in the doorway of Elisa's room and gazed at the woman. It was still hard for him to believe that she was there, in his family's home, after all of their past together.

Mostly fighting, backstabbing and being arrested, but a man was allowed to change, wasn't he?

He took in the surroundings of the room. Heart monitor beeping, brain waves making patterns on the small screen, tubes and cords everywhere.

He shook his head. "This is not how your story ends, detective," He said firmly. "I wonder where you are right now."

With that, he turned and walked away.

He had preparations to make.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Elisa observed as Nell wandered the stone streets that made up the city surrounding the castle. She'd spent a few of her precious coins on a small round loaf of bread, and some sausages that would give her the first good filling meal in months. She had sacrificed one of the sausages to her cat, but had closed the rest away for the night's meal.

The women had gathered by a well, drawing water for such luxuries as fresh washing water for bodies and clothing. It would be wonderful to have clothing that wasn't rinsed out in the murky waters of a river, and a few of the women had even created special scented cleaners to keep them smelling fresh for a while.

Nell grabbed some of the cleaning powder that smelled of the heather that grew wild around their winter settlement. They traveled a lot, but usually settled in the lowlands, new the English border, to wait out the harshest weeks of winter. It wasn't warmer, but any stretch of the imagination, but it was less harsh than the highland winters.

Elisa shook her head to clear it. Since the first time she'd connected with Nell's thoughts, she'd been getting a near constant flood of information. Thoughts, emotions and physical sensations coursed through her body, making it increasingly difficult to separate her own thoughts and emotions.

One thing had become clear, however… She didn't think this was a dream anymore.

Demona had done something to connect her to this young woman.

For what purpose? Elisa wondered.

Nell claimed her own bucket of water and proceeded to clean a small stock of well-worn clothing. Most were practical everyday wear, but some were clearly fancier than others.

Performance costumes. Elisa's head was flooded with information and images. This band of gypsies provided goods such as their home-made herbal remedies, as well as having some talented members who made coin by performing.

Nell was a dancer. One of the best in her troupe, second only to her friend Menowin.

Winnie, as they called her, was tall, thin and graceful. She was able to enchant audience with her slow, flowing movements, as well as her stunning looks. She was pale skinned with a shock of deep red curly hair that held audiences' attention.

Nell felt like she was almost the opposite in every way. She knew she was not beautiful. Her skin was too dark from days out in the sun. Her hair was thick, straight and black. She was thin, but more muscular from working long days tending the plants and animals the troupe tended.

She was a good dancer, though, and she carried her weight. Her parents had both been gypsy, and she had loved watching them perform. When they had died suddenly almost five years ago, she'd felt lost. Luckily, she'd been allowed to stay on and train to be a performer as well.

And so, here she was at the age of 16, living on her own and earning her own money…

Well, she shared the coin with everyone, but it left her with a little of her own to treat herself whenever she had the chance.

With a sigh, Nell gazed down into the bucket of well water.

Elisa gasped. The hair was less tame and the eyes were a shade of violet, but… it couldn't be.

It was her.


	15. Chapter 15

By the time Fox and the movers returned with crates... actual full crates… of books, papers and magical paraphernalia, He had everything prepared.

One of the unused rooms in the lower levels had been emptied of everything except a single table, a wooden chair, and newly installed chains in the floor.

The chains were clasped onto the ankles of Demona, who was unconscious in the chair. She had thrown a fit about not actually being able to leave, and even more of one when she found out that someone was in her home, that David had to drug her.

It should wear off shortly, and he wanted to have everything ready for her when it did.

With the aid of his mechanical suit, he moved the crates into the room. He had just moved the final one in when Demona, still in human form, began to stir.

It was time.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Elisa watched with a kind of unreality as Nell continued through her day.

The men had gone out in search of work, while the women remained with the wagons just outside the high castle walls. Washing was done, animals fed and groomed, and the area scouted for useful herbs to be used in their medicines.

The men returned with loud whoops and cheers.

Nell joined the other women, hanging in the back of the crowd. She didn't have anyone that she had missed and anxious to reunite with. No father, brother or husband. She was there to show respect, and to find out if they had found work for her to do.

"Nell!" Patrin called out to her.

Nell turned, smiling at her friend. He was riding up with a wide smile on his face, which meant that they'd be welcome to stay for a while, and that he'd found work.

"You, my girl, will be performing for the Princess!" He said, swooping her into a playful turn and dip.

"You mean we will," came the quiet voice of Winnie.

"Of course," Patrin said, bringing Nell upright and slinging an arm around the two girls. "There is a celebration at the castle this evening, and they were wanting entertainment.

"I must get ready," Nell said, breathless from excitement.

"So must we all," Patrin said. "We shall gather together our finest musicians, and tonight," He struck a funny pose, "We dance."

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

What is the meaning of this?" Demona yelled, her wits finally returning to her. She jerked on the cuffs holding her wrists together.

"Temper, temper," David Xanatos said, mocking her attempts to break free. "Those are a prototype of some new toys of mine." Xanatos leaned casually back against the wall and crossed his arms. "They are a new kind of restraint that I have had a team working on. They are hard as steel, and wired with a sensor that will automatically adjust to fit any wrist… or ankle," He added, shooting a glance at Demona's feet that were attached to thick lengths of chain by the same cuffs. "If you're still here and cuffed when the sun sets, they will auto adjust to fit your larger size without cutting off circulation or breaking, and without any interference from us."

Demona snarled at him.

"Now, is that any way to treat an old partner in crime?"

Demona clamped her mouth shut, and forced herself into a rigid stillness that belied the pure rage coursing through her veins.

"We took the liberty of having your library brought here," Xanatos motioned to the crates of books, "As well as any loose papers that were laying around."

Demona remained silent.

"Now," Xanatos said, taking a slow step from the wall, "I do not agree with the clan, but they have decided to give you a final chance and release you back into the wilds. All you have to do, is to fix whatever you did to everyone's favorite detective, and you will be free to go."

Demona's jaw clenched in agitation.

"If I may," David said, looking pointedly at his watch, "I would suggest that we start working. It's only an hour until sunset."


	16. Chapter 16

Skyler groaned and stretched. She and the kids had had a "camp out" last night, creating the world's largest pillow and blanket fort.

Maybe "fort" was the wrong word. It was a blanket mansion, complete with separate halls and wings so that everyone had their own room to sleep in.

Conner and Brenna, the precocious Gargoyle twins, were together in their own wing, so that their breaking stone skin wouldn't hurt anyone when they woke. The Xanatos boys had chosen to sleep apart on opposite ends, only to have Christopher stumble half asleep from his end to curl up with his brother, Alexander.

Just after Christopher had gone to sleep, Owen had come to collect Alexander for their morning magic lesson. Poor Alex looked exhausted, but nothing would keep him from his lessons.

Liam had not wanted to leave Skyler's side, so she had curled up in the widest area the "fort" had with him. She had intended on leaving the fort as soon as he'd gone to sleep so that she could stretch out on something more her size, but must have gone to sleep herself.

Now, she was stiff, sore, irritable… and Brooklyn hadn't come back last night, so she still had no idea what was happening.

Skyler checked her watch. It was almost sundown now.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Goliath broke from his stone skin with a roar. Almost before the others had done the same, he was running back into the castle. He had to have news.

If all had gone well, Elisa would be awake by now. If not…

Goliath shuddered to think of what would happen. Not bothering to find Xanatos, Goliath went straight to the room he'd last seen Elisa in.

He stopped in the doorway, and almost howled his anger to the stars. There, so still it frightened him, lay Elisa. Her eyes were closed, so he hoped she was actually sleeping now.

He knew his worst fears hadn't come true, because beside her the heart monitor beeped its steady rhythm that proved that she lived still. The wires and tubes had seemingly multiplied since he'd last seen her, however.

Slowly he approached the bed and took her small hand in his. He fell to one knee and rested his forehead against the hand he cradled.

"Elisa," He whispered. "I need you to find a way back. I will do all I can from here, but I need you to try as well. Please. For our family, our son," He placed a kiss against her palm. "For me," he finished in the softest of whispers. "Please, I do not want to go on alone."

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Elisa held up her left hand and stared at it in the misty place she was in. Maybe it was her imagination, but she could swear that she'd felt… something. And it wasn't Nell's this time. Nell was currently staring into a small highly polished metal mirrored surface to artfully use colored powders to decorate her face and body with swirling designs.

So, if it wasn't Nell, what was she feeling? Her chest ached, and she knew.

Goliath.

If she was here, what must everyone at the castle be going through? How much longer could she last here, like this?

And what and where was this? Was this just one long dream, or was this something else?

Elisa looked at her palm and curled it into a tight fist, as if she could hold on to the remaining sensation that lingered there.

Helplessly, Elisa turned her attention back to the scene playing out in front of her.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Nell watched from the back of the room as Winnie finished her dance. As always, she was graceful and beautiful.

She looked around the room, and saw that only half of the room was paying attention. She'd never performed for royalty before, so she didn't know if this was normal, but she was not used to seeing so many bored faces. Usually they performed on the streets to cheering and smiling crowds.

This was something altogether different.

Once Winnie was finished with her dances, there was a smattering of polite applause, and Winnie curtsied.

Nell took a deep breath to try to calm her nerves. It was the acrobats next, then her turn. Hopefully the tumblers would wake the crowd a bit.

"Hmmm," Came a thoughtful him beside her. "I wonder if they are even paying attention."

Nell turned to look at Patrin. "I was just wondering that as well."

He frowned. "It has been rare that we have performed for anyone of a higher station," He mused, "But I worry that if they are not entertained, that they will not pay us for the evening."

Nell looked around the room. "You really think they would not pay?" she asked worriedly.

"T'would not be the first time," He said, his brow furrowing. Suddenly it cleared, and a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "Have you been working on that new performance pieces?"

"Yes, but…"

"We do that then," He grinned. "Wake them up."

Nell looked hesitantly around the room. "Is this really the time…"

"Yes." He interrupted.

Nell hesitated, then nodded. He wasn't wrong, it would definitely wake them up.

They had run across another gypsy band not long ago, this one was Romany and had different ways of doing things. Exotic in a way.

Nell had spent the two days they had traveled together with a few of the other dancers, learning new dances and how they moved.

They danced with their whole bodies, bending and twisting to what looked like impossible angles, to music that was quite far from their usual pace.

If Patrin thought it would work, she would do it though.

The acrobats finished, and were once again met with a smattering of applause.

Nell looked and found Patrin speaking rapidly with the musicians. He was getting them ready for the changed music as well. It took a few moments, but once they were ready, Nell took a deep breath to steady herself.

She nodded to Patrin, who walked to the center of the room. He began speaking, spinning a tale of a lost and wandering Princess from a far off land. He told a tale so vivid and colorful that even Nell was caught up in it. He described her appearance as being the same as the princess in his tale, and the scene was set.

As he reached the end of his tale, the musicians began to play.

This was it.

Adding a little extra sway to her hips in time with the music, Nell walked into view.


	17. Chapter 17

Demona took her time, leafing slowly through a few of the books. She was taking her time, and wasting theirs. After all, she knew exactly what page the spell was on, and if it was indeed here in these crates, she could go right to it.

It depended on what deal these traitors were going to cut her.

She wanted freedom to leave, and they wanted their human alive.

It seemed like a simple enough agreement, but they were fighting her on it. They didn't seem to realize that she was the one holding the cards.

Demona moistened the tip of a talon with her tongue and turned another page with almost painful slowness.

"Demona!" came a shout as familiar to her as her own voice.

Demona felt a smile at his despair grow across his face. The others had not listened to her bargaining for her freedom, but Goliath would. To save his pet human, Goliath would do anything.

The clan members jerked at the sound of his voice, a few flinched at the anger it has resonated with.

Angela had turned and run to the door in hopes of intercepting him.

She didn't have a change against the wall of rage that was her father as he barged in the room. One look at his face, and she took two big steps back.

Goliath, his massive chest heaving with the emotions he was trying…and failing… to hide, stormed up to his former mate.

In his lifetime, he had never harmed a female for any reason. If Demona failed to reverse the spell, however, he was sorely afraid of what he might do to her.

He stopped only inches from her, his eyes glowing and his fists clenched. "What spell did you cast, and how do we remove it." He demanded.

Demona didn't acknowledge him, and turned another page. Slowly.

Goliath growled, and his control shattered. He Grabbed Demona by the throat, and bodily lifted her from her seat. "Tell me," He roared in her face.

"Father!" Angela gasped, and moved to intervene. Broadway intercepted his mate, and held her back from the scene.

"Tell me," Goliath demanded again.

Demona struggled to breathe. Oh, she knew she couldn't die, thanks to her ties with Macbeth… but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. She gasped for air even as her hands reflexively tried to pry his fingers away from her throat.

The males of the clan converged then, ganging up on their leader and separating him from the one being on the planet that could save Elisa.

"You'll pay for that, Goliath," Demona said, flinging the book she'd been holding (a book of Latin Poetry that only looked like a spell book) away from her to hit the wall to her left with a loud slap. "As you'll pay every day after your pitiful human dies."

The clan lost a few steps of distance as Goliath's fury gave him the strength to drag them forward.

"Not helping, Demona," Brooklyn ground out.

"Goliath, lad," Hudson shouted to be heard above Goliaths growls. "Goliath, hurting her will only delay Elisa's return."

Goliath stopped moving. He stood rigid, still, giving the illusion of calm. Inside, he seethed with an almost blinding hatred.

"Bring. Her. Back." Goliath ground out between his clenched teeth. "Now!"

"Mother, please," Angela begged, not for the first time. "You can stop this."

"Then give me my freedom, and you can have your human whore back." Demona coughed out.

The roar that erupted from Goliath was deafening. He managed to gain another three steps toward Demona with the rest of the clan struggling to restrain him.

There was a small pop, and Goliath flinched. He growled in anger, glared at someone behind him, and collapsed into his clan's arms.

There was a dart in one shoulder, bearing the Xanatos Enterprises logo.

"I didn't want to have to do that," Xanatos said, handing the tranq gun to Owen, "But that was getting us nowhere."

The clan lowered Goliath gently to the ground. As one, they all swung around to face Demona.

"Mother," Angela said softly. "Please."

"I am sorry daughter," Demona said, for the first time showing what might be genuine emotion in her voice. "With no guarantees that I will be able to go free after I give you the spell, I have no reason to help the human."

Angela gasped. "Even for me?"

"I'm sorry," Demona said.

Angela too a deep breath, closed her eyes and made her decision. This was her mother, but she wouldn't put her friends, her father or her clan at risk for Demona.

Never again.

"No," Angela said, her voice going hard. "I'm sorry. To everyone," Angela swept her gaze across the clan. "I know that you have all put your vengeance for her actions on hold for me." She shook her head sadly. "No more. Do what you must."

And with that, she walked briskly out the door.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Nell moved with a sensual confidence she only felt when she danced. She was told once that was why people loved to watch her dance. Her movements were not the traditional demure style, and so she tended to catch the eye of those who liked the different form.

She moved freely about the room, occasionally picking a single male in the room to flirt with in connection to the performance. The music started slow, but gradually picked up the pace.

Nell, normally a little awkward and clumsy in her everyday life, put on the performance of a lifetime with no hesitations or stumbles.

When the music ended, the silence was startling. Nell posed in the final position, standing straight, her arms held above her head and crossed at the wrist, her head thrown back with eyes closed.

Her chest heaving after the exertion of the dance, she slowly opened her eyes. A movement out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Was someone standing in the rafters?

It was then that the applause began. Slowly at first, and gathered in volume as the dining room erupted, drawing her attention away from the mysterious figure.

While Nell was puzzled at the figure above her head, Elisa recognized what she'd seen.

She'd seen a Gargoyle.


	18. Chapter 18

Xanatos used his handy-dandy tranquilizer gun one more time, this time on Demona. While it had been satisfying, he had done it to stop any further violence that would accomplish nothing but wasting time.

"Well, this has been fun," he said, "But we're still no closer to finding a way to wake Elisa up."

The clan grew quiet. They had hoped that putting pressure on her as a group would have some influence with convincing Demona to do the right thing.

Perhaps they should have known better.

Brooklyn went over to where the book Demona had thrown lay. Bending over, he picked up the book and stared at it.

"Hello?" a female voice called out. "Brooklyn?"

"Skyler?" Brooklyn called back.

"Oh, thank the Gods," Skyler said rushing into the room. "I'm sorry, but I had to find you. I swear, I have no idea what's going on. You guys told me to stay up in the nursery, so I haven't left for two days now. Where's Elisa? She hasn't come by to see Liam. He's asking for her, and I don't know what else to tell him…" She trailed off looking at the large form in the corner, but then, "Aaaaand why is Goliath on the floor?"

"It's a long story, Skye," Brooklyn said, feeling horrible that they'd tried to keep her out of the whole thing. "I just wanted to make sure that you were safe."

"I get that," She said. "I was assuming that there was a reason that you've maintained radio silence, kept me out of the loop, busy with the kids so I don't have to wonder what you're doing in the lower floors of the castle with your leader unconscious on the floor and holding the world's thickest volume of poetry? You didn't hit him over the head with that, did you?"

"Well, we… wait," Brooklyn stopped. He held the book out to Skyler. "You can read this?"

"Sure," Skyler said, her brow wrinkling in concentration. Reaching out, she took hold of the book, turning it over. "This is a book of Poetry by Publius Ovidius Naso. He's also known as Ovid. He was a Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a contemporary of …" Skyler trailed off when she realized that the clan was staring at her. "What? I took a lot of ancient culture classes, and took Latin as my foreign language through high school because I liked the time period," She defended herself.

"Lass," Hudson rushed forward, "Can ye read what's in the crates here?"

"Uh," She sent an uncertain look at Brooklyn. "I don't know, but I can try."

Brooklyn smiled and swept her up with a quick kiss. "That's my girl!"

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Nell woke to the sound of hoofbeats pounding in her ears. After her dance, she had been so tired she had immediately went back to the wagons. Despite the cooling evening air, the inside of her wagon was so stuffy that she had opted to sleep under the wagon again.

She opened her eyes to find a group of soldiers from the castle yelling at everyone, gathering them into the center of the clearing.

Out of nowhere, a large armored hand grabbed her by the upper arm and dragged her out into the open.

Nell cried out in pain, and hurried to her feet. Stumbling, she joined the others.

"What is happening?" Nell cried out.

"They're accusing us of theft," Patrin spat. "Someone noticed that some jeweled goblets are missing, so of course, they accuse us first."

"Sir," Came a shout, "Over here."

Nell watched, disbelieving as the soldiers converged upon her wagon. From inside the wagon, a hand withdrew two golden, jewel encrusted goblets.

"Who owns this wagon?" the captain demanded.

"Nell," Winnie cried from the front of the group, loud enough for all to hear. "What did you do?"

"I didn't take anything," Nell insisted. She swung her head towards Patrin. "I didn't! I came straight here and went to sleep!"

The others weren't given the chance to defend her.

"Take her," The soldier holding the goblets shouted.

Nell was torn from the group, still in her nightclothes. Behind her, she heard the raised voices of the other gypsies. She risked a glance behind her and caught a glimpse of the others, and of Motshan trying to break through the line of soldiers to get to her.

"Motshan," she tried to call out to him, but was ruthlessly dragged away.

From the Gypsy camp, just outside the castle walls, she was all but dragged through the gates and into the large courtyard. The long legged stride of the soldiers preventing her from getting her feet under her to walk.

All the while, she cried out, begging for someone to listen to her.

The castle's inhabitants were suddenly everywhere, having been alerted to something happening. Some were trying to look at her without appearing to look at her, others openly staring. Some followed behind the soldiers, trying to find out what was going on.

Then came the first shout.

"Thief!" The voice called. "She tried to steal from the Princess!"

Someone threw something rotten at her, hitting her with a juicy sound and leaving a dark stain on her white nightdress.

Other voices joined in, as Nell was forced to endure increasingly rougher treatment at the hands of the soldiers. The louder the shouts, the more things that were thrown, the rougher they got.

Finally, Nell was shoved to the ground. She landed hard on her hands and knees with a force that made her cry out. Frantically, she looked over the crowd. Where were the others? Surely someone would help her.

"Silence," A soldier called to the crowd. "We will not tolerate outsiders, thinking that they can come inside our walls and steal from us. Especially from our beloved Princess!" He raised his clenched hand to emphasize the point, and the crowd roared its agreement. Once the noise died down, he continued. "As punishment for the crime of theft from her highness, Princess Kathrine, we hereby sentence you to 20 lashes." The soldier then leaned over and sneered in her face. "Ten per cup."

Nell stared at him in fear.

Even the crowd quieted. Surely he was only trying to scare this girl. Yes, theft was a crime, but to whip this young girl...and that many times.

Two soldiers hauled Nell to the front of the inn. Roughly, they tied her wrists together with one end of a long rope. The other end was tossed over the crosspiece of the Inn's sign, then pulled until her arms stretched high overhead in a mockery of her final pose of the dance she had done.

Nell continued to beg and plead, trying to get someone to listen to her, only to scream when the whip stuck her flesh.


	19. Chapter 19

Goliath, still a little groggy yet from the remainder of the Tranquilizer dart, was sitting beside his mate's bed, his head in his hands.

He had failed her. He wasn't ready to give up, but he felt as if he were a total failure. It had been two days, and they were still no closer to undoing to spell than they had been.

Goliath rose from the chair. He needed to go and speak to his daughter. He had been told of what had happened after he had been drugged, and knew what his daughter had done.

It was not an easy choice, he knew, to have to choose between those that you care for. She had shown great bravery and honor this night, and he needed to tell her that.

He had just touched the doorknob when a change in the room's machinery caught his attention.

Doctor James burst into the room, almost causing Goliath to lose his balance.

"What is happening?" Goliath demanded.

"I don't know," the doctor admitted. "Her heart rate just suddenly elevated."

"Brad?" Kierstin Hardy, the doctor's nurse and fiancee, rushed into the room to join Doctor James in checking the equipment.

"No idea," Doctor James said. "Jesus, it's still going up."

"She's going to hyperventilate," Kierstin said, trying to place an oxygen mask over Elisa's nose and mouth to try to stabilize the woman's breathing.

Suddenly, Elisa screamed. Her eyes were closed tightly, her back arching off of the bed in an angle that was painful to see.

"Stad, mas e do thoil e," Elisa cried out as if in pain. "Cha do rinn mi dad ceàrr!"

Goliath rushed forward, unsure of what to do, but knowing that something was hurting his mate, and he was powerless to do anything.

And again, she screamed, all but rolling off the bed this time. It took all three of them to keep her from falling, holding her down so that she wouldn't hurt herself.

Finally, what felt like torturous minutes later, Elisa finally lapsed into something resembling unconsciousness.

"God, she's strong," Kierstin said, breathless from trying to hold Elisa down. "What was that? A seizure?"

Dr James shook his head. "I don't think so." The doctor looked to Goliath, "Do you know what she was shouting? She was saying something, but I didn't understand any of it."

"It was an old Scottish form of Gaelic," Goliath said, almost collapsing into the chair, and taking one of Elisa's hands in his. "She was saying, 'please stop. I did nothing wrong'."

"Elisa knows Gaelic?" The doctor asked, stunned.

"No," Goliath said, roughly. "She knows a few words, but not enough to speak like this… But maybe that will help us find her." He leaned over to kiss Elisa on the forehead. "Hang on, Elisa. We will find you, but you need to hold on."

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

"I don't know what I'm even looking for, Brooklyn," Skyler cried, looking at the stacks of books, clearly overwhelmed. "Most of these are just books! Poetry and novels," The clan had filled her in on all that had been going on, and the importance of finding something that looked like a spell. "Some of these aren't in a language I know how to read and to top it off, we're running out of night time. Even if I did run across a spell, I can't guarantee that I would know it was that, and not some kind of poem." Skyler sent Brooklyn an apologetic look. "I will do what I can, but I think we're going to need more help than just me."

Brooklyn put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Skye, just do what you can. I called Elisa's friend, Margaret and asked her to come and help."

"I'm here," Margaret said breathlessly a moment later, sweeping into the room, two cardboard trays full of extra large, extra strong coffees. "I took Latin as a med student."

"I took enough Latin to get through nursing school," Kierstin said, right behind her. She carried a coffee maker from the kitchens and a full canister of coffee grounds. "But I do know German."

"I hope you don't mind that I made a few calls," Margaret admitted. "More help is coming. Anyone that knows the clan and also knows a foreign language is on their way." She hugged Skyler, whispering, "How's Elisa?"

"The same, I guess," Skyler whispered back. "I haven't seen her, though. I'm getting all my news through the clan."

"Later, ladies," Maria called out from the doorway. "We have work to do." She efficiently shed her coat and tossed it onto a chair. "I have any Spanish books covered."

"We brought goodies," Pamela called from the doorway.

"Figured it was going to be a long night," Matt said, holding up two hands that were holding very full plastic grocery bags.

Eventually, nearly every human ally that the clan had gathered in the last few years were crammed into the room.

Everyone took a stack, sorting them into known languages.

One stack was unknown language to the humans, so they put it into a stack of their own hoping that the Gargoyles would be able to translate it.

Finally, there was a table that held any loose papers and scrolls.

Eventually, the rest of the Maza family joined, though they were little help, as there were no books written in any Native American or African dialects that they could translate. In gratefulness for those who were there, they made food runs, brewed endless pots of coffee and were taking turns sitting with Elisa.

The sorting had taken the rest of the night. As the sun rose, the clan in their stone slumber in the courtyard above, the humans stood, staring at the sheer amount of what they had to go through.

Margaret gave a small nod. "Okay," She said, rubbing her hands together. "Where do we start?"


	20. Chapter 20

Elisa opened her eyes, and found only darkness.

Was she awake? Or was she still in the mind of Nell?

A light slowly appeared to brighten the room. Elisa found herself laying on her stomach, her back a throbbing mass of pain.

Elisa couldn't contain a choked cry.

"There now, lass," a female's voice came from the darkness beyond her vision.

There was a pressure against her back, then a sudden cooling effect that was such a relief that Elisa wanted to sob. She didn't know what was going on, or why she was suddenly getting the full force of the 'Nell Middle Ages Experience', but she wanted off this ride.

"I want to go home now, please," Elisa begged whatever deities were listening.

"I'm sorry, lass," the female said. "If we'd been at the castle last night, things wouldna' have gotten that far."

Elisa frowned, turning her head to see who was speaking. Her eyes widened. It was a Gargoyle, and not one that she'd seen before.

With pink skin, a roundish pleasant face, and a full double layered brow ridge, her friendly voice matched her calming expression. Her grey hair was braided over one shoulder, giving her an older appearance than her voice had led Elisa to think she was.

"Och, sorry," She said, taking a small step back from the bed. "I didnae mean to scare ye."

"Gargoyle," Elisa said, her voice sounded hoarse, her throat sore from the screaming.

"Aye," The female said. In her hands was a bowl of some truly foul smelling brown paste, and as she continued to speak, she spread more of the numbing salve on Elisa's back.

'Gods,' Elisa thought, 'I don't know or care what's in that paste, just don't let her stop putting it on my back.'

"You know of Gargoyles, then?" The female asked.

"Mmmhmm," Elisa said, almost going limp with the relief of having the searing pain gone. "How long have I been here?"

The female frowned. "Not long," she said. "The elder and our leader had just returned to the castle soon after the captain had begun the whipping." The female flinched. "Our leader is a young, but a fair leader. He would hae ne'er stood for such a thing. I am sorry you had to endure it."

Elisa frowned. "Elder?" she said. Surely it couldn't be… "Hudson?"

The female cocked her head. "Who is this, Hud-son?" she asked, stumbling a little on the name.

"Never mind," Elisa said.

"And they call us the animals," came a familiar voice. "We would never do anything this vicious."

Elisa grit her teeth. Freaking Demona…

But this wasn't her Demona, Elisa realized. This was a younger Demona from before the Viking attack that would kill most of her clan.

Suddenly, Elisa had an idea of where… and when… she was. Now, how to get back.

"I want to go home," Elisa said again, the full force of her will behind those words.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

"Tha mi airson a dhol dhachaigh"

Goliath's head rose at Elisa's quiet voice. He had risen as soon as the sun set, and came straight to her room. He had only just entered the room when her breathy voice met his ears.

"Elisa," He called out to her.

"Tha mi airson a dhol dhachaigh" she said again.

Goliath hit the button beside her bed that would alert the doctor.

A breathless Doctor James came running through the door. "What happened?" He demanded.

"Elisa spoke," Goliath said, willing her to do so again.

"What did she say?" He asked, approaching the bed.

"Tha mi airson a dhol dhachaigh," Goliath repeated. "She said 'I want to go home'."

The doctor looked at Goiath, and the gargoyle noticed how haggard he looked. "Have you slept?" Goliath asked.

The doctor shook his head. "There is a room full of people here who haven't slept more than a few hours over the last twenty four," he answered. "We are all running on an obscene amount of caffeine and willpower. The clan has a lot of friends, and they are currently pouring over all of the books and papers that came from Demona's house to try to help."

Goliath was stunned. He hadn't wanted to leave Elisa's side, so hadn't returned to the room with the books.

"Now that you're awake," The doctor said, rubbing a hand over his face, "Maybe you should go down and help them. I'm sure that you'd be more help than I am at the moment." He reached down and pressed a few buttons on his watch. "If you don't mind, I'm going to try to catch a nap in here, in case Elisa needs help I can be nearby, but if I don't get at least a little sleep, I'm not going to be much good to anyone."

"Rest," Goliath urged, vacating the oversized chair he'd been sitting in. "I will go see if I can be of some assistance to the others."

The doctor nodded, took the seat, laid his head against the back and was asleep before Goliath could leave the room.

Elisa wanted to come home, and he needed her there. He was going to do everything he could to make that happen.

Goliath made his way to the room that he'd last been in with Demona and the books. Quietly, he opened the door and stood in amazement at the scene.

Both Maria Chevez and Beth Maza were asleep, leaning against each other, their backs against a wall. Matt was thumbing through an old volume of text, absently stroking his wife's hair and she lay sleeping with her head on one of his thighs.

Margaret seemed to be the most awake of the humans, but that may be because of the gigantic thermos of coffee she had sitting beside her.

The clan, having just woken up, had taken over as a fresh pair of eyes. They seemed to have split into two groups; one group was dividing up books in a stack that had not been touched yet, but Goliath could make out the old Celtic and Gaelic writing. The other group was physically taking books out of the exhausted humans' hands, and urging them to rest.

Goliath felt his chest tighten at the show of support from both his clan, and their human friends.

"How fares Elisa?" Hudson asked quietly, attempting to be considerate to their sleeping human helpers.

Goliath frowned and shook his head. "I do not know," He said. As the clan gathered around their leader, Goliath told them what little he knew. He told them about her exhibiting a reaction to something painful the night before, and speaking in the old Scottish Gaelic of their homeland.

"That's weird," Beth Maza said, rubbing her eyes like a child who had just woken up from a nap. She approached the group now. "Elisa knows English, she can swear a bit in German thanks to an exchange student she made friends with in high school, and enough Spanish to get by. She was never good at learning languages."

Goliath nodded. "I believe this was more than just a sleep spell."

"We have been going through everything," Angela said frustrated. "I just don't know what else to do."

"We keep looking," Broadway said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yes," Goliath nodded. He reached out to take a thick book from the table marked as being Latin. "We keep looking."

And with that, they broke apart and got back to work.


	21. Chapter 21

The next time Elisa opened her eyes, she found herself still on the bed. It was cold and damp here, and she shivered. Quietly, Elisa sat up, being careful of the injuries to her back… to Nell's back, she corrected. Though it was getting harder and harder to make the distinction now that she seemed to be able to actually control Nell's movement.

Elisa was worried about that. Before, it was as if she were in a theater, watching Nell's life on a movie screen. There had been a distance to the whole experience, but now she could speak and move as if she had actually become Nell.

The longer she stayed like this, the more it felt like she and Nell were inhabiting the same body. While Elisa was aware of Nell as a separate personality, she was curious to know if Nell knew about her.

'I wonder if this is how Coldstone felt,' Elisa wondered. 'One body with multiple souls with vastly different personalities.'

Elisa slowly sat up, wincing at the pull and stretch of the torn skin on her back. Elisa had been along for that ride, though she hadn't experience the whole sensory experience. She was getting it now, however, and she struggled to her feet. She was in a small stone room, dark except for a soft light from the hallway. Elisa saw the vague outline of a stool, and something on top of the seat.

Elisa felt around, finally realizing that except for the cot/ bed/ whatever it was that she was sleeping on, the stool was the only other furniture in the room.

Elisa finally made it to the stool, and realized that there was a stack of fresh clothing on the stool. She was still wearing the nightgown that Nell had put on before going to sleep, before being awakened by the soldiers. The gown was a stained and tattered mess now, and Elisa was thankful to whomever had thought to give her decent clothing.

Carefully, Elisa changed clothes, both shocked and horrified by the bloody and shredded back of the gown. Medieval "justice" and punishment, she assumed, for a girl suspected of stealing.

Well, they could keep it.

Modern law enforcement was far from perfect, but it worked better than this.

Slowly, she made her way to the hallway, where she found a line of stone Gargoyles blocking off the hallway… and her exit. So she wasn't kept behind bars, but she was still being held where she couldn't escape.

Honestly, it wasn't likely that she could have escaped anyway. Her back hurt like a mother, and she could only imagine what it would have felt like without that extra layer of the numbing goop that the Gargoyle female had put on her just before sunrise.

Not to mention that she _should_ have recognized where she was, but felt completely turned around.

Elisa made her way to the line of sleeping gargoyles and studied each one. The elder female who had treated her wounds was there, but she didn't recognize the others.

Well, this way out was blocked off, but she could try the other way, and see what was there.

Turning, she made her way farther into the hallway, squinting in the faint light that the wall torches gave off.

She passed a few more small alcoves, much like the one she'd been in, before she reached the end of the hall. She pushed open a heavy wooden door, and walked into a large dimly lit room.

After her eyes adjusted, Elisa found more stone gargoyles. These gargoyles, all standing in their fearsome poses, again blocked her access to most of the room. Elisa looked past them and gasped.

Eggs.

She had accidently discovered the original rookery. Again, she peered at the gargoyles in the room, and again found no familiar faces.

It hit her like a train then. They weren't familiar, because none of them would survive the attack on the castle.

And the eggs, Elisa looked again. The thirty-six eggs she knew would be transported to Avalon. Chances were that one of those hard shelled wonders would eventually hatch to become Angela, Gabriel, and the rest of the Avalon clan.

Elisa felt tears well up in her eyes. So many gargoyles, lost.

Quickly, Elisa turned back to the hallway, closing the rookery door behind her. They had taken pity on poor Nell, and brought her here to treat her wounds, but they were wise enough to take precautions to protect their children.

Their future.

The unborn generation of fierce protectors who would never see their parents, and be raised by humans on a magically hidden island for many years.

Elisa entered her small room, and sat on the bed. Without the benefit of a window, she had no idea what time of the day it was, but her short excursion left her exhausted. Gingerly, Elisa laid back down on the bed, curled up on her side, and prepared to wait out the daylight.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

"Father," Angela cried.

Goliath's head came up, and he sought his daughter out in the crowded room. "I think I found the spell!"

The crowd parted to allow Angela to approach her father.

She hurried up, a single page in her hand that looked as if it had been torn from a book. "I think this is it," Angela said to him in a hushed tone, "But I can't find the counter spell."

Goliath growled in frustration.

"If I knew which book she got this from, maybe the counter spell is on another page." Angela said, hopefully. She motioned her mate over, and explained what she was looking for.

"Okay guys," Broadway said to the room at large. Some of the humans had had to leave, needing to go to work at their respective jobs, but some still remained. "We have a new mission."

The writing was Latin that much they knew. They weeded out all of the books written in different languages, and focused on the Latin books.

Goliath couldn't help the feeling of foreboding. The last time this had happened, a spell cast from a single page with no counter spell, he and the few surviving members of his clan had been frozen in stone for a thousand years.

That wasn't an option. Not for Elisa.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Doctor James was jerked awake by the sound of a hysterically sobbing woman. His eyes flew open, but instead of finding Elisa on the bed, he saw… no one. Where Elisa had been laying a short time ago, there was not just a twisting mess of blankets. The IV stand had fallen over, the IV line itself looked stretched to its limit.

He blinked a few times, trying to get his overly tired brain to focus and understand what he was seeing, then leapt to his feet.

"Elisa?" He asked, slowly walking around to the far side of the bed. "It's okay. You're safe."

No answer, but the sobbing abruptly quieted.

He rounded the bed, and found her huddled on the floor, curled into a ball as if she were trying to hide.

He stopped abruptly. Frowning, he cautiously said her name once more. "Elisa?"

Elisa looked up, vivid violet eyes meeting the startled doctor's gaze.

"Tha mi airson a dhol dhachaigh," she sobbed.

I want to go home...


	22. Chapter 22

Kierstin Hardy was a little disappointed. She and Bradley had planned to elope, realizing that while they loved their lives, there was very little downtime to plan a big wedding. They were both only children, and neither had a lot of family to invite, so why bother having a big ceremony?

Vegas. They were planning on taking a week and going to Las Vegas, getting married and spending the rest of the time relaxing and...Well, just being newlyweds for a few days.

She wasn't angry though. Brad's dedication to his patients was part of why she loved him. There would be another time when they could break away… or maybe they could just go to city hall and get it done there.

She really wasn't any help anymore, as she only knew medical terminology in Latin. Anything else was out of her realm of understanding.

She was only a handful of humans left now. Margaret was a machine, pushing through the tired in an effort to help her friends. Beth had gone this long on catnaps, but was looking like she was about to drop.

Kierstin had gone to her own bed and gotten about four hours of sleep at Brad's insistence, and she was probably the most rested of any of them.

Kierstin got up from her seated position, bending backward to stretch the protesting muscles in her back and groaned.

She felt her pager buzz, and looked down at it out of habit.

"Bring Hudson, no one else. 911" the screen said.

Kierstin felt her heart skip. It was Brad, asking for Hudson, not Goliath? Had something happened?

Kierstin looked around the room, locating Hudson. Casually, she went over to him and bent down to whisper in his ear. "Hudson, would you mind helping me with something?"

"Now, lass?" He said, confusion on his features.

"Please," She said firmly, but quietly. "I don't know what happened, but I think it's something to do with Elisa, and for some reason Brad doesn't want me to tell Goliath."

His features went blank, probably thinking the same thing she did. If something had happened to Elisa, if something went wrong, Brad would want Goliath to have the support of his clan. Hudson being the elder, would be the best at advising and supporting their leader.

"Aye, lass," He said, tiredly. "Bronx," He called. "My bones need a bit of a stretch, and Bronx could do with a quick trip outside," as if that were his only reason for abandoning the search.

Goliath nodded absently, while the rest barely acknowledged his announcement.

Together with the human nurse, Hudson and Bronx left the room. One they turned a corner in the hallway, Hudson stopped and braced a hand against the wall. If something had happened to Elisa, everything would change. They would lose a genuine friend, and chances are they'd lose Goliath as well.

He had seen Goliath practically fade away a few years ago, when Elisa had disappeared for months. If she actually died…

He roughly shook his head, as if to banish the thought. He pushed away from the wall, and continued toward Elisa's room.

The doctor was waiting outside the room, arms crossed and head bowed. Kierstin knew something had happened, as she watched him practically vibrate with agitation.

"Brad," Kierstin called, quickening her pace. "What happened?"

He reached out and pulled her to him. "I'm not sure," He admitted, letting her go.

"Elisa?" Hudson asked quietly. "Is she…"

"Hudson," Doctor James said, interrupting him. "I need your help." He opened the door and motioned Hudson in.

With a growing dread, Hudson walked into the room. He found Elisa sitting on the bed, her back to him.

The relief almost knocked him to his knees. The lass was alive!

He was going to have to have a word with the Doctor. His old heart could only take so much.

"Elisa, lass," He said, rushing to her side. "What…"

The woman looked up, eyes wide in fright, and the violet hue stopped Hudson in his tracks.

"What are ye?" the woman asked in Gaelic. "Where am I?"

"She's speaking a language I don't understand," The doctor said from behind him. "Can you speak to her?"

Hudson raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "I am a friend, lass," He responded in Gaelic. "What is your name?"

"I am called Nell," she answered. She was still frightened, but she wasn't screaming the castle down. "I am a performer. A dancer. I had performed for a royal party just last evening…"

Slowly, Nell told Hudson her story, ending with the unfair arrest, stating again that she had been innocent and the brutal punishment the guards had doled out. The last thing she clearly remembered was a lot of yelling, and strong arms catching her as they cut the ropes that had been holding her up. She had gone unconscious before she could see who her rescuer had been.

Something was nagging at the corner of an old memory. "What castle had you performed for?" He asked.

"T'was a place I had never been before, but a name I shall never forget," She said, angrily. "It was called Castle Wyvern."

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Elisa woke to the roars of the Gargoyles waking. So many of them waking in such tight quarters, the roars blended into one deafening wave of sound.

Elisa's head felt as if it was about to explode. She felt weak as a newborn, and uncomfortably hot.

The elder female that had nursed her the previous evening entered her room. One look at the human and she rushed forward.

"Och, lass," She cried out, placing a hand on the human's brow. "You've a fever. You're burning hot to the touch."

Turning, she started barking orders to those who waited outside.

Elisa couldn't speak. Her mouth was as dry as the desert, her throat felt raw, and she felt like she'd been laying in a pool of her own sweat. Maybe she had been. She'd felt fine when she'd first gotten up a while ago, but now…

The female came rushing back to Elisa's side, a small bucket of water with her. The female efficiently wet a thick woolen piece of material and laid it across Elisa's forehead.

"I have called for the human healers to come," the female said. "Do not worry," She said with a gentle smile, "The healer I called for in the one who has been training me in the healing arts. She is a gentle woman with vast experience. She will know what to do."

Elisa tried to remember what she knew of doctors of this time period… and it wasn't much. Visions of bloodletting and leaches filled her mind, and she shook her head. "No," she said in protest.

"Now, lass," the elder said. "You are ill, and need help."

"How is she?" came a deep and welcoming voice.

"The lass is ill, leader," The Female gargoyle said, softly. "I have sent for the human healer from the castle."

"Goliath?" Elisa asked, eyes wide.

Goliath paused, mid-step. "How do you know my name, lass? Have we met before?"

"Oh, right," Elisa closed her eyes tight. This wasn't her Goliath. This Goliath had no idea who she was.

"Now, lass," The female was saying. "I am still only learning the healing ways of humans. You need help."

"Alright," Elisa said. "Get your human healer." She closed her eyes and attempted to relax on her side so that she faced the 'door'.

"Now," Goliath said, moving to stand before the bed. "I have heard the accusations against you, but I would have your side of the story."

Thankfully, Elisa had paid attention to what Nell had done while Elisa herself had not been in control.

With a slight slur to her voice, Elisa described the time from when she'd arrived with her wagon to the performance. That could all be verified with witnesses, thankfully. The rest of it, she could only hope that he would listen and believe her. She told of the end of the dance, how tired she was, and how she left the castle to sleep under her wagon.

Then how she woke to the soldiers, them finding the stolen goblets in her wagon and the soldiers' final decision to make her an example by whipping.

Goliath scratched his chin, a habit that Her goliath still had a thousand years in the future when he was thinking something through. "It seems a bit harsh, with this kind of treatment, with very little proof that it was you who stole the goblets."

Elisa felt her eyes start to water.

Even here, in the past, whether he knew it or not, he was trying to protect while being fair. He had already been told of her "crime" she committed and the "evidence", yet he still came to get her side of the story and seek the truth before blindly passing judgement.

"Do you know who might have taken the cups?" He asked her.

"No," Elisa said on a sigh. "I do not."

Goliath nodded. "My sister has gone to fetch the healer. Together, they will work to reduce your fever and treat your illness. In the meantime, I shall begin asking questions of anyone who may have seen what had happened that night."

"Thank you," Elisa said, before quietly lapsed into a fever-induced sleep.


	23. Chapter 23

"What do we tell Goliath?" Doctor James asked. "I don't even know where to start."

The two of them were standing in the hallway outside of Elisa's, or Nell's, room while Kierstin helped Nell get dressed in clothing that was as foreign to her as the country that she now found herself.

"I will talk to him, lad," Hudson said. "If Elisa...er, Nell… is well enough to be by herself for a time, you should go get more rest. I have a feeling we're going to need your help again soon."

Doctor James nodded. Holding out his arm, he clasped Hudson's wrist. "Thank you, friend. Please," He said, releasing Hudson's wrist, "Let me know if you need anything."

"I will," Hudson agreed. "Now go."

Kierstin exited the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

The doctor put his arm around the shoulders of his future wife, and led the two of them towards their private quarters.

Hudson walked back down the hall, only to hesitate in the door of the bustling room where friends and family were working together to fix whatever had been done.

"Goliath," Hudson called out. "Come, Lad. You are needed elsewhere for a time."

Goliath frowned at the elder. He got to his feet and followed Hudson without question until he realized where they were heading. "Elisa?" He asked.

"Now lad," Hudson wanted to prepare him, but had no idea of how to begin. "Somethin' has happened…"

That's all he got out before Goliath abandoned his calm, cool composure. Afraid that Hudson was about to tell him that something had gone wrong with Elisa, he ran to be by her bedside.

What he found, however, was Elisa sitting upright in a large chair. "Elisa! When did you…" He stopped abruptly. Something wasn't right. Her posture wasn't as straight as normal, her head bowed and not making eye contact. "Elisa?" he asked, feeling suddenly frightened.

Elisa looked up, and Goliath gasped.

Instead of her normal beautiful brown eyes, he stared into ones that were a brilliant shade of purple.

"Please," she said in Gaelic, then switched to a heavily accent and hesitant English. "Please, Can you help me get home?"

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

"So, you're telling me that Elisa is not Elisa," Beth said slowly. "She looks like her… well except for the creepy eye color thing. It sounds like her, but our Elisa is somewhere in...I'm sorry," Beth said, frustration on her face. "She is somewhere in an early AD version of Castle Wyvern?"

"Yes," Goliath responded heavily.

"Oh," Beth said sarcastically. "Glad it's nice and easy."

"Tell me about it," Brooklyn said. "So, how do we get Elisa back?"

"I do not know," Goliath said, gravely.

"And what about the eye thing?" Skyler said, glancing at the Elisa-but-not-Elisa woman sitting huddled in a large chair by a fireplace. "That's worrying."

"I think," Angela said slowly, "That the longer Elisa is caught in the past, the two women are experiencing each other's lives." Angela took a breath and continued. "But the longer it goes on, I'm afraid that they really will completely switch."

Angela angrily swept up the page with the spell on it and began stalking from the room. "I'm going to talk to Demona. She's the only one who can fix this."

Silently, most of the Gargoyle clan followed her.

Leaving Hudson and the remaining humans to watch over Nell.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Angela stormed into the dungeons, and walked right up to the iron bars.

"Is this it?" Angela demanded, holding the page out of arm's length of the cell. "Is this the spell that you cast on Elisa?"

Demona gave a put upon sigh, and took her time approaching the bars.

"Is. This. It?" Angela ground out.

Demona tilted her head as if in thought.

"Yes," She said slowly. "With a few minor word changes to make it a little more effective."

"How do you reverse it?" Angela demanded.

"I don't know," Demona shrugged. "I never bother to memorize counter spells. I'm more of a cast it and run kind of girl."

Angela snarled, eyes glowing red. "Where did you find the spell?"

Demona shrugged. "I gather spells here and there. A good part of the time, the books have been damaged, so parts are missing, or I only find loose pages. That one," Demona flicked a finger towards it, "Is probably one of those loose pages that I have found and collected over the last millennium. I honestly can't remember where that one came from."

Angela dropped her arm to her side. "I wish I could believe you," She said quietly. "But I have already wasted too much time hoping that you would do the right thing."

Turning, the clan left their former clan mate locked in her iron cage.


	24. Chapter 24

Nell was miserable. She still didn't understand what was going on.

This looked like the castle that she'd performed in, as she glanced around her at the Great Hall. This was the same room, she thought… but it had changed.

The creatures that called themselves Gargoyles had tried to explain that she was somehow in the future, and that while this was Castle Wyvern, it was no longer in Scotland.

Worst of all, she'd woken up in the most uncomfortable clothes. She had worn dresses or skirts her whole life. The closest she'd been to being seen in men's pants was when she was little, and her parents had allowed her to wear a split skirt while learning to ride a horse. Once she'd gotten good enough at it, it was back into skirts.

She had protested that she couldn't walk around the castle in men's pants like that. It was indecent.

The beautiful woman, Fox was her name, had provided a beautiful gown in shades of green and blue. The skirt was not as full as she was used to, but it was the colors and texture of home. She donned the gown, fastened the belt low on her hips as she'd seen the higher born ladies do it, and finally emerged from the room she'd been given.

Now she found herself surrounded by the oddest mix of humans and creatures, all seeming to be speaking different languages.

Nell felt like her head had been stuffed with cotton. She was having trouble focusing on anything at the moment, and she felt as if she were sitting in the fireplace instead of next to it.

She wiped at her forehead, only a little surprised to come away with sweat staining the sleeve of her shirt.

"Elis… er… Nell," a woman, Beth, approached her. "Are you alright?"

"Nae," Nell responded, mentally cursing at herself. She'd been born and raised in the Scottish highlands, where they almost exclusively spoke Gaelic. She had only started learning English when her troupe started travelling closer and closer to the English border, but had not been diligent about learning the complicated language. "I…"

Beth frowned. "You look hot," Beth gently placed a hand against her head. "God, you are hot." Beth stood and looked around the room. "Hudson, can you help me?"

Hudson approached the two women. "Aye lass."

"Can you ask her if she's sick?" Beth asked. "She's burning up."

Hudson frowned, and translated the question.

Nell replied, and the two had a brief conversation.

"The lass is confused about everything happening around her, and she feels a little warm, but otherwise she says she feels fine," He assured Beth.

"Maybe we should have the doctor look at her." Beth worried.

"Couldna' hurt," Hudson said, and told Nell that they were going to call a friend up to take a look at her.

Nell nodded her assent, stood…

And passed out cold.

Half an hour later, with the assistance of both Margaret and Kiersten, Doctor James finished his examination and met with Hudson in the waiting area of the medical wing.

"There is nothing physically wrong with her," Doctor James insisted, having thoroughly examined Nell. "There is no reason for her temperature to spike like this. It's almost as if she's fighting an infection of some kind, but there are no physical injuries to cause it, and her blood tests have all come out clear."

Hudson stroked his beard thoughtfully. He had caught the lass before she had hit the floor a short time ago and rushed her down to the infirmary.

"An infection, you say," He mused. He hadn't shared the fact that the lass had been whipped as a punishment by some overzealous guards, not wanting to worry the others, but now he wondered if that had something to do with the lass' illness. He argued with himself for a moment before he told the doctor about what he knew.

Doctor James' head snapped up. "Whipped? She said she'd been whipped?"

"Aye, lad," Hudson said, wondering at the doctor's reaction.

"There's a connection," Doctor James thought out loud. "There is some kind of connection between the two women, and I think it's deeper than we originally thought." He quickly told Hudson of the incident with Elisa's screaming in agony, and his theory that Elisa may have been experiencing Nell's pain.

"And if that's true," Doctor James began.

"Then Elisa may be the one to have the infection and fever," Hudson finished, grimly.

"Exactly," The doctor said.

"Can you not treat Nell with what you would give Elisa?" Hudson said, suddenly. "If they are sharing illnesses…"

Doctor James smiled and completed the thought, "Then maybe they can share the cures!"

Turning, Doctor Bradley James prepared to do the impossible. He attempted to treat a woman in the present time to help save a woman in 994 AD Scotland.

He hoped it worked.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Elisa faded in and out for a while, losing complete track of time. The fever taking a toll on her body, and robbing her of the ability to track the time passing. Her world became a complete confusion of treatments from Humans and Gargoyles alike.

Finally, After what felt like years, Elisa came to. She was weak, but felt like she was actually awake for the first time in a long time.

When she opened her eyes, she found herself looking at a young Demona.

"So, you're finally awake," She said indifferently. "Your fever broke about two hours ago."

Elisa was on her stomach again. Gingerly, she rolled to her side and pushed into a sitting position. Cursing the weakness, and vowing that the next time the doctor gave her antibiotics to fight infection she would take them with no complaints, Elisa raised her face to the Gargoyle who would be the biggest pain in her ass.

In the future.

Not this Demona. This one had a distaste for humans that she couldn't quite hide, but it wasn't the burning hatred that would turn her into the destructive one from her timeline.

Yet.

"How long has it been?" Elisa asked, coughing a little at her dry throat.

Demona all but rolled her eyes, and we to a small stand beside the bed that held a pitcher and a small wooden tankard. Demona poured water into the tankard and handed it to Elisa.

"Thank you," Elisa said, taking a deep drink of the blessedly cool water. "Do you have a name that I can call you?"

The red haired gargoyle shook her head. "We have no names. Only Goliath, our leader, answers to something other than Brother."

Elisa nodded. She remembered Hudson's initial frustration at her insistence that they have names.

"Is there a name I can call you?" Elisa asked.

Demona seemed to think on that one. "My mate calls me Angel."

Elisa almost choked on the water. She couldn't. She couldn't call her that.

"Sorry," Elisa said, "I was drinking too fast."

Demona raised an eyebrow at her as if she wasn't totally buying that one, but she didn't say anything.

Elisa had a thought. "Do you have any knowledge of magic?" Perhaps this Demona was already in training and learning magic enough to potentially help her.

"Some," Demona replied. "And why would you have need of magic?"

Elisa looked down where her hands were clutching the cup. As much as she detested the thought of asking Demona for a favor, she needed to get back to her time before something bad happened. She was afraid of messing with the timeline, and going home to a changed world.

"If I were to tell you something," Elisa began slowly, "Would you be willing to listen?"

Demona cocked her head, intrigued. "I will listen."

Elisa took a deep breath. "I am not from here," she began. Eliminating her interactions with the clan in the future, she spoke of the cities of the future. How magic and technology were prevalent, trying to simplify her description of the wonders so that Demona would not write her off as a total crackpot. "A magic wielder cast a spell on me, and I ended up here, in this body. Have you heard of such a spell?"

Demona gave her an incredulous look. "I am not sure if you are telling me the truth, or if you have gone insane with the fever."

"Ask me anything," Elisa insisted. She had to be careful how much she revealed, but she would do anything to convince Demona.

"Are there gargoyle clans still in your world?" Demona asked cautiously.

Elisa nodded. "I live on a small island far from here, and we have a clan of Gargoyles that watches over us. There are other clans around the world as well."

Demona smiled. "It is good to know that the clans live on to see such wonders."

"I am one of the few human guardians who care for the clan on my island, and I must get back there," Elisa said, afraid to hope. The irony that her life was laying in Demona's hands was not lost to her. "Will you help me?"

Demona hesitated. "I will look through the books in the Magus' library and I will try to find what you seek."

"Thank you," Elisa said, feeling some of the tension seep away from her.

The sounds of taloned feet on the stone floor outside caught her attention. An unfamiliar male gargoyle walked into view.

"Sister," He greeted Demona. "Word has come for me to fetch the human and escort her to the throne room."

Elisa felt her chest tighten. Had she run out of time?

Frantically, her gaze sought Demona. Demona met her gaze, and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"She is weak," Demona pointed out. "And her back has not fully healed, so you will be unable to carry her."

"We shall walk," He replied. "It will take longer, but I have no wish to cause more pain." He offered Elisa a hand. "You have been hurt enough."

Elisa took hold of his hand and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

He tucked her hand in the crook of his arm. "Lean on me, lass," he said with a smile. "I will not break, and I will not let you fall."

"Thank you," Elisa said softly.

Out of options, she allowed him to escort her from the room.


	25. Chapter 25

"It's working," Margaret said with a sigh. "Good thing too," Margaret leaned close to her friend's face. "I did not nurse you back to health and let you crash on my couch for months, for you to let this beat you."

"Oh, nothing will beat Elisa," Kiersten said with a smile. "I have a feeling she's going to outlive us all."

"Thank God," Doctor James said. He looked at Margaret, "You've got a cool head on your shoulders. Where do you work?"

"Mt Sinai Hospital," Margaret said. "I'm on the overnight shift, and I'm usually either on the post surgical floors, the ICU or occasionally in the ER."

"I can always use an extra hand up here," Doctor James said. "Especially on the overnights in case of emergency. The pay is good and so are the benefits."

Margaret gave him a skeptical look. "Really? How good?"

He told her.

"Are you serious?" Margaret said as soon as she was able to wrap her brain around it all.

"Quite serious," the doctor said. He wrapped a free arm around Kiersten. "It just so happens that we're going to be getting married soon, and would like to lessen the load a bit on my soon to be wife. David Xanatos has given me a fairly free hand as far as the hiring goes, but I need people on the overnight who can handle emergencies like this." He nodded at Elisa's body on the bed. "Things a little out of the realm of normal. Plus you know the gargoyles, so it is an added bonus."

Margaret gave it a moment's thought, then picked up a phone to call the hospital and give a two weeks' notice.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

It was slow going between her healing back and the weakness from fighting the infection, but eventually Elisa and her Gargoyle guide made it to the Great Hall.

Elisa felt like she's run a mile at top speed. She was tired and out of breath from pushing herself.

She was eventually brought before the Princess.

Elisa had swayed on her feet the moment her guide had attempted to leave her, so the concession was made to allow the 'accused' to sit on a short stool while her sentence was being passed.

A well dressed noble stepped forward and glared at Nell.

"You are accused of stealing two jeweled goblets from her majesty, Princess Katherine," The man announced, as if she was so simple minded as to have no idea why she was there. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?"

"Yes," Elisa said. "I didn't take the goblets. I had been here, in the castle, that is true. However, once I had finished, I was tired, so went straight back to my wagon to rest. I didn't take the goblets."

"Then you must know who did," The man insisted.

Elisa shook her head. "No. I wish I did."

"A pity," The man said, sneering. "Let this be a lesson on what happens when we invite Gypsies into our homes."

"With no evidence of your innocence," Princess Kathrine said, sounding bored. "We have no choice but to sentence you to…"

"Hold!"

The familiar voice almost made Elisa collapse in relief.

Goliath.

It felt like it had been weeks since she'd heard his familiar voice. "Goliath," Elisa whispered on a relieved breath.

"Goliath," the man Elisa now knew was the Captain of the guard hurried forward. "What is the meaning of this?"

Goliath strode forward, his wings caped around his shoulders. "We found the gypsys' new encampment, and have brought you the real thief."

Elisa's head whipped up, and there was a collective gasp from the crowd. Behind Goliath, Patrin and Motshan walked with a struggling Winnie between them.

Winnie, her hair a matted mess, her clothing dirty, was pulling at the restraining hands holding her. Despite her ragged appearance, her eyes blazed in fury.

The three gypsies walked past where Elisa sat, stopping before the princess. The men bowed deeply, but Winnie remained stubbornly upright.

Motshan was having nothing of it. He loosened his hold with one arm, sweeping it forward to strike right behind Winnie's knees. The force of the blow caused her knees to bend, sending her forcefully to the floor.

"You will not disgrace me anymore than you already have," Motshan bit out. "You will show respect and kneel before royalty."

Elisa raised her eyebrows in surprise. From Nell's memories, she knew the elder to be gruff, but fair leader. He cared for everyone as Goliath cared for his clan, in a kind of Parental role.

Elisa knew that this was not a side of Motshan that Nell had seen.

"What is happening here?" The princess demanded. "And who are these people?"

"They are gypsies who had performed the night of the theft." The Captain said.

"And why are they here?" The princess asked impatiently.

"The woman who was arrested was not guilty of the crime," Goliath said.

"Marcus!" Princess Katherine said in a near yell. She visibly began showing her anger as a soldier, the one who had seemed to be in charge of the group who had arrested Nell. "You mean that the woman who was arrested, whipped in the streets and who had to be under the care of the castle's physician for days, was not the one guilty?"

Elisa saw Motshan's shoulder jerk at that. He had obviously not known of Nell's treatment at the hands of the guards. He remained bowed, his gaze on the floor.

"Your Majesty," Marcus said, bowing almost in half. "The stolen items we found in her wagon. We had no cause to think otherwise."

"Really?" The princess drew the single word out. "Perhaps you are in need of further training before you are put in a position of command again. Guards!" She shouted. Immediately, two soldiers flanked the man. The Princess waved her hand dismissively. "Take him away. Strip him of his rank and place him with the new soldiers. He is to begin his training all over again before he takes his whip to one of my loyal people."

The soldiers flanked their comrade, and escorted him from the room.

"Now," the princess said, "Back to the matter at hand. You," she pointed her finger at Patrin and Motshan, "You have done your duty and brought the person responsible here. You may go now."

The men slowly Rose from their bows. "Thank you, your highness," Patrin said.

Motshan said nothing, only stood and turned to leave.

The men walked past Elisa. Patrin refused to meet her eyes, the guilty flush on his face made Elisa wonder if he had truly hadn't believed that Nell had been innocent. That was going to hurt Nell if… no, when… Nell came back to this life.

Motshan met her gaze, however, and Elisa saw tears in the elder man's eyes as he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder briefly as he passed her.

"As for you," the princess turned her irate gaze to Winnie, "You have caused much trouble with the theft of those two cups. For that, I will turn you over to the captain. You will await your judgment in the dungeons. Be grateful that I don't have you suffer the same punishment as the girl who had been falsely accused of your crime."

Two more guards materialized and took a sobbing Winnie away.

Finally, the princess turned to Elisa. "You have been treated poorly at the hands of my guards, and for that, I am truly sorry," the princess said, and for the first time, Elisa saw a flash of the woman that the older Katherine would become, and the one that Elisa had come to know. The one who would take it upon herself to not only save the eggs of a Gargoyle clan, but to also take on the raising of them as well on Avalon to keep them safe. "You are welcome to stay here for whatever time is needed for you to heal from your injuries, and then you may decide what you would like to do."

Judgement handed down, Princess Katherine of Castle Wyvern, stepped down from her raised dais, and walked briskly from the room.

Elisa felt a gentle hand under her elbow.

"Come," Goliath said softly. "Our healer will be displeased if you are out of your bed for too long while you are still ill."

Elisa's fever had broken a few hours ago, and other than a lingering weakness that would probably be completely gone tomorrow after some sleep, she felt fine.

But, for the chance to hear Goliath's voice and feel his hand on her arm, she would let him think she was still sick.

Elisa purposely slowed down, savoring the feel of her future husband's presence. She had missed him more than words, and knowing that there was a possibility that she was stuck here, in this time, and knowing what was yet to come was a special kind of hell. She wished she could tell him, to warn him, of the painful events in his near future, but she didn't dare do anything to alter the time stream.

She wished she could tell him of their happiness in the far future, but she couldn't.

Change one thing, run the risk of altering everything… She had learned that much.

If she were to tell him of Demona's betrayal, if he believed her and wouldn't think she was just crazy…

He would probably take the whole clan and hide. That's what she would do in his place. Save everyone that you can. The clan would live, and never be placed in the stone sleep spell.

But then, even with a Gargoyle's slow aging, Goliath wouldn't even be alive in her time.

Elisa suddenly felt as if she couldn't breathe past that thought. No Goliath, no clan, no Angela or Liam… and who knew what else would change.

Considering some of the situations that Goliath and the clan had saved her from, she would have probably died years ago.

Goliath stopped outside of the room that she'd been sleeping in near the rookery. "Are you alright, lass?"

Elisa felt the tears begin to run down her cheeks. Was she being selfish, wanting Goliath and the others to survive the massacre to come, but not daring to change the timeline?

"Lass?" Goliath asked, concern etched on his features.

Elisa threw her arms around the gargoyle, wishing he would just hold her.

Of course, he wouldn't. He couldn't. This Goliath didn't know how to react to a human showing him affection, and held his arms out wide, as if unsure of what to do.

Elisa sniffled, and fought to get her emotions under control. Gradually, she released him, and allowed herself to drop the short distance to the ground.

Wincing at the pain the landing sent through her back, Elisa wiped her face. "I apologize," She said softly. "I just wanted to thank you for saving me."

"You are welcome," Goliath said, dipping his head in a bow before turning to make his way back out to the outdoors.

Elisa entered the little alcove that had been her world for days now. She sat on the bed, staring blankly at the wall.

She missed her time, her city, her husband and child. Her family and friends.

And, much to her dismay, her future now hinged on a young Demona.


	26. Chapter 26

Demona was working on an escape plan. She had already tried several ideas, but nothing had been successful. She would just have to bide her time.

Idly, Demona lay on her bed and let her mind drift over the last few days. She relished in the fact that everyone still seemed to be scrambling around, trying to fix their little human. As long as they continued in such a way, Demona knew that the detective was still unconscious, and she was enjoying it.

Humans were so fragile, Demona mused. And so susceptible to magic spells.

Demona thought about the spell that she had cast on Elisa. She had altered it somewhat from its original. Instead of sending Elisa to glimpse the past, she actually sent her consciousness into the past. Into a previous life, if one were to believe in reincarnation.

Honestly, if the clan had let her go to her home and retrieve it, it might have taken her longer than she'd originally thought. She'd forgotten that it was on a single hand written page.

Demona sat upright so suddenly that even the Iron Clan sentry seemed to flinch.

It was a spell…

On a torn page…

From a book that had been destroyed long ago…

One of the few that she'd brought from…

Oh, Gods damn it!

Demona howled her rage.

She remembered now where she'd gotten that page… and she remembered the last time she'd seen it before the clan had found it among her belongings yesterday.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Elisa heard fast footfalls approach, and sat up straighter.

"I think I found it," A breathless Demona came into the room, a large leather bound book in her hands. "Can you look at it, and tell me if it sounds like the spell that was cast on you?"

Elisa looked at the page that Demona had pointed to. Sounding it out to herself, she said, "I think so, but...This word was different, I think."

Demona raised her brow, and started suggesting words. Once Elisa had been able to identify the word change, Demona blinked at her. "Whoever cast this on you, truly did not like you. I suggest you avoid them in the future."

"Unfortunately," Elisa said, shaking her head, "I'm not sure that I can, but I will try."

"Well, then. We have the original spell, changing the word 'view' to 'embrace'," Demona thought aloud as she flipped a few pages in the book. "That means that this," She turned a few more pages, then she pointed to another spell, "is the counter spell."

Elisa all but jumped to her feet. "Please," she asked, "Send me home."

Demona looked at her in her usual calculating way. "On one condition."

"What do you want?" Elisa asked.

"I want a favor from you, at some time next we meet." Demona said.

"If we meet again, and I am able," Elisa hesitated. "I will do my best to repay this favor for another."

Demona nodded, accepting that that was probably the best she was going to get from a human. She raised one taloned hand in the air, and waved it at the human detective and began the spell.

"Quam illi remittam

ex quo intravit

Ut corpus eius retro

Ut nomen eius retro"

Elisa forced herself to stay still and let the magic wash over her. By this point, it took a supreme act of will to do so, since she had been hit with a LOT of different spells. Most of them bad… and most of them from Demona. This time, however, instead of the magic crashing into her, hitting her like a fist, it washed gently over her with the softest of caresses.

So this is what it was like to have someone cast a spell on a person that was not meant to harm, Elisa thought, irritated. It was kind of nice…

Then Elisa felt the presence in her mind.

'Nell?' She had time to think before Elisa began to experience the process she had already been through in reverse. This time, she had the distinct feeling of being pulled upward.

One moment she was standing in front of Demona, then her vision blurred and she was once again floating in space looking at the movie screen-like vision through Nell's eyes.

A gasp made Elisa turn, and suddenly she was looking at a young woman. For the first time, she was able to see Nell clearly.

The resemblance was uncanny, Elisa thought as the two women stared at each other. They weren't identical, but could have easily passed as siblings.

Nell reached out to wards Elisa, and Elisa reached to clasp her hand.

Nell smiled. "Thank you," she said, then disappeared as she was once more in control of her body.

Elisa turned to watch the 'movie screen', and wondered how long she was going to be stuck in this space. When would she be able to go home…

It felt as if a large hand had suddenly grabbed her around her middle and yanked her backwards. Elisa watched the view of Nell's eyes rapidly shrank until is vanished in the swirling mist.

Then it felt like she had been tossed. The pressure was gone, and she was falling.

Falling…

Falling…


	27. Chapter 27

Nell came back to her body painfully, as she unceremoniously landed on the ground. She let out a short scream as the pain she hadn't felt in a few days came back to her.

Gasping in pain, Nell took stock of what she knew.

She was back in her time.

No one was ever going to believe her if she told anyone about this.

She wanted out of here, painful injuries or not, and rejoin her people. Now.

Nell struggled to her feet, and gave the Gargoyle in front of her a grateful smile. "Thank you," Nell said in her native Gaelic, giving the gargoyle to most formal bow that she could considering the painful lash marks on her back. "Thank you for your aid. I must go now."

"Amazing," The female gargoyle lifted an eyebrow at her. "Even your eyes have changed. Nell, I presume. Welcome back. I will guide you up to the courtyard," She said. "That old man is refusing to leave until he can take you with him."

Nell followed the gargoyle upwards, through winding tunnels, and finally up a staircase. Once above, Nell found Motshan waiting for her.

He hurried forward. He looked like he was going to give her an embrace, but she shied away. He stopped, grimaced, then gently took her elbow. "I am sorry, me girl," He said in that rough, deep voice of his. "I should have tried coming for ye' sooner. I would have stopped it if I could have."

"I know, Motshan," Nell said softly. He would have too, she knew. He was gruff, but he would care for his people. He had taken punishments to spare his people before, and he would have taken hers, had he been able to.

"Here," The female Gargoyle thrust a small pot in her direction. "The healer wanted you to have this."

Nell sniffed the pot cautiously, then recoiled at the smell.

The red haired gargoyle smirked. "It is horrid, I will give you that, but it will keep your wounds numbed as to not pain you while they heal."

"Thank you," Nell said. "For everything."

As Nell and the old man walked away, the Red haired Gargoyle thought to herself, "You had better keep your promise, human," even as she knew that it would probably never happen. She had lost faith in the promises of humans long ago… but there was always the chance that this one time, someone would pay their debt to a gargoyle.

With a sigh, Demona turned back to the castle. As she passed the blacksmith's stall, she paused beside the brightly glowing forge fire.

This was a tremendous spell book, one that had been rotting away on the magus' bookshelves in a far corner. The spells in them were powerful, but all of them involved the time stream in one way or another. After the night that she had a "run in" with her future self, she had been told that interference with time, past or future was dangerous.

She turned back to the spell that had brought the other woman to the past. She was not sure why she felt the need, but she tore that page out and put it into her satchel to study later. The rest of the book she casually threw into the forge and watched it burn until the only thing that remained was ash.

Once it was done, she cast a glance at the sky. She was to meet with the captain shortly, to discuss their plans for the castle, and the Gargoyle's place in it.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Nell had been sitting in the library. It was the only room where she seemed comfortable, mainly due to the fact that it was the room with the least amount of the modern things that were so frightening to her.

They had left the doors open for her, in case she needed to call out for help.

The clan was sitting in Lexington's "computer" covered "war room" for a "brainstorming session". There was too many things about this time that she couldn't understand.

Nell laid back on the long padded bench...a couch, she corrected herself… and marveled at the softness. It was comfortable for a while, but she was starting to feel as if it would swallow her up if she sank too deep into it.

She would give anything to be back, sleeping on the ground under her wagon. She closed her eyes, and pictured her heather covered fields, the chilly night air, the comfort of the communal cooking fires and the black night skies.

Hudson had been wonderful, trying to help her adjust, and explaining what little they knew about what had happened. It hadn't made a lot of sense, but what she did know worried her.

There was another woman, one who looked much like her, apparently, who was trapped in her time.

Her body.

Nell wondered how she was feeling. Was she having to live with the wounds that had been inflicted the night they had switched places? Nell cringed, remembering all too well the sharp pain and bite of the whip.

Ironic that both women were innocent of any wrongdoing, but both were suffering the consequences of someone's devious actions.

One moment she had been on the couch, and the next she felt as if she were being lifted up with great speed.

When she stopped, she found herself surrounded in a thick mist, facing a woman in a dress from her time.

She gasped in shock. The resemblance was close enough that the woman could only be the missing Elisa.

She lifted a hand, just wanting a connection with her. Their hands clasped, and all she could say was a heartfelt, "Thank you".

Then the connection was broken as she was flung back into her body.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Once Motshan had collected her, she was led outside the castle walls where a single open wagon was waiting. He helped her into the back, and she was laid on a soft bed of hay for the trip. Gently, he drew up a heavy woolen blanket that covered her from the neck to her toes.

Motshan took her hand. "There are things in this world that are truly magical. Whatever journey you have gone through is your own, and your story to tell." He released her hand. "I know t'was not you in the castle earlier, but I may be the only one who noticed. 'Tis you here now, though. Perhaps, some day, you will tell me about it, but for now… it may be best to keep such stories to yourself. It is much too dangerous to speak of such things openly." Motshan pulled himself into the wagon, and Nell tried not to flinch at the discomfort the rock of the wagon caused.

Good Gods… How had Elisa borne it?

"How long has it been? What happened?" Nell asked. "I do not...remember… much of the last few days."

Motshan nodded. "Tis understandable, after what you have endured." He sighed deeply, "Menowin stole the goblets and hid them in your wagon."

"Winnie?" Nell blurted. "But… but why? She is… was my friend."

"She was jealous, my girl. You had the attention of Patrin, whom she thought she was in love with. You were the better dancer, and I'm ashamed to say that I did not believe that she would do anything like this." Motshan's face went stony. "She stole the cups and hid them in your wagon during your performance. She seduced one of the guards, then told the guard that you had taken them."

Nell was stunned, "But… she was my friend," She said softly, her eyes welling up with tears.

"I know," Motshan said softly. "She was verra' convincing, Menowin was. I'm ashamed that she had not only convinced the guard that you had done such a foul thing, but a few of our own band members believed her as well."

Nell closed her eyes. "Patrin?"

Motshan went silent, and Nell had her answer.

It was a moment before Motshan spoke again. "I promised your parents that I would care for you should something happen to them. I have not done very well, have I?"

Nell smiled, sadly. "You have done well," she said. "I could not have asked for a better guardian. I will choose my friends better in the future." She said, remembering the lengths that the gargoyles and humans had gone to, to save their friend.

Yes. She would choose better in the future, she vowed to herself.

As the feeling of betrayal washed over her at learning of not only Winnie's attempt to have her punished for a crime she didn't commit, but of Patrin's lack of faith in her.

She would have that someday, she vowed to herself. True friends, and a family all her own.


	28. Chapter 28

Elisa physically felt as though she'd been to hell and back.

She'd landed in her body with such a force, that she was surprised she hadn't bounced. She kept her eyes shut for a moment, half afraid to open them to find that it hadn't worked.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she opened her eyes to see the library. "Okay," Elisa said quietly. "Not exactly time specific, but I'll take it." After days of pain, Elisa moved slowly to not pull at the healing wounds on her back only to discover that they were not there. She expelled a breath of gratitude, even as she felt badly that her relief had become someone else's pain.

"Sorry, Nell," She said, hoping that Nell was able to recover quickly.

Elisa got to her feet, momentarily confused by the fact that she was wearing a medieval-style dress and no shoes on her feet.

Elisa felt her breath hitch. No, not again.

Elisa looked around at the modern furnishings, and felt marginally better, but since most of the furnishings in the library in her time were either replications of the castle era's furnishings or antiques, so it was hard to actually tell…

Elisa grabbed a hold of the full skirt and ran, barefoot, into the hallway. The electric lights there helped ease the tension that had settled in her stomach.

Raised voices caught her attention, and she hurried towards them.

She almost passed the room completely, having to catch herself against the doorframe, her palms striking it with an audible slap.

The conversation stopped as the noise caught the room's occupant's attention.

"Nell, lass," Hudson said, coming to his feet quickly. "Wha's wrong?"

Elisa, scanning the room, found the one face that she would have sold her soul to see again. Her throat felt tight with emotion, and without speaking, she ran around the table. She dodged around confused members of the clan and threw herself into her husband's arms.

Goliath, much as the younger version that she'd surprised with the hug, stood still as if unsure what to do.

Elisa, her arms clamped as tightly as she could manage around his chest, leaned her head back to look into his face. "I missed you, Big Guy," She said, her voice husky with unshed tears.

Goliath looked at her in complete shock, as if he didn't believe what had happened. Then he leaned closer and into her eyes. "Elisa?" he asked quietly. Then her roared, "Elisa!" His arms swept around her, lifting her completely off her feet.

Elisa wound her arms around his neck and inhaled his familiar scent, one that was unique to only him. Still unable to speak, she clung to him as the rest of the room erupted into shouts of surprise and happiness.

Goliath put one hand against the back of her head, holding her to him as he caped his wings around her. "Oh, Elisa," He whispered, his words just for her. "I missed you so."

That did it. The mental dam that Elisa had built up, keeping her from either breaking down or losing her mind, broke. She began to cry.

When she was able to get herself under control, she became aware of the sheer silence.

"I scared them off," she said, not bothering to open her eyes and look around, "didn't I?"

"No," Goliath reassured her. "They are happy that you have returned to us, and will welcome you back later. They left to give us a little time to ourselves."

"Okay," Elisa said. She was exhausted and, now that she was home and safe, wanted nothing more than to sleep for a week. Maybe two.

She still had things to do, friends and family to talk to, and her son to hug and cuddle.

And she had a former enemy to repay for this little misadventure by magic.

For now, though, she was right where she wanted to be.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Goliath took her to the nursery first, where she collected up her son. He was happy, having not seen her in days, and couldn't wait to babble about what he had been doing since he'd last seen her.

Elisa sat with him in the rocking chair for a full ten minutes before she felt like she could face anyone else. She gathered Liam up and carried him on her hip as they went to join the others.

"So, just out of curiosity," Elisa asked, a sardonic grin on her face as she gestured to her clothing, "What's with the dress?"

Goliath smiled at her. "I know how you prefer your jeans," He said, putting his arm around her shoulder and pulling her closer to his side. It would be a while, he knew, before he would allow her out of his sight, let alone farther than arm's length. "But Nell was uncomfortable in modern clothing. Do you remember when Fox and Xanatos got married?" he asked. When Elisa nodded, he said, "This is the dress that Fox returned in."

"I guess I can understand, the wanting to be comfortable," Elisa said. "I would have done anything for a pair of pants."

"Elisa," Goliath said. "How did you…"

"Goliath," Elisa cut him off. "I will tell you everything tomorrow. For now," She said, placing an arm around his waist, "Can we just be happy that I'm home?"

"Yes," Goliath said, his voice suspiciously deep with emotion. "I am very happy to have you back."

"Good," Elisa said.

Together, they entered the Great Hall to an explosion of cheering. The rest of the night was filled with a celebration of Elisa's return. Everyone wanted to know what had happened, how she managed to come back.

Elisa asked of them the same that she'd asked of her husband.

She would tell them everything soon.

Few of the guests seemed irritated at the request, Beth first and foremost, but no one pressured her. They all knew that Elisa was stubborn enough, that she would only talk when she was ready.

Liam fell asleep curled up on his mother's lap just before dawn. Skyler rushed over to scoop him up from Elisa, once more welcoming Elisa home before she took the sleeping boy back to the nursery.

Tomorrow, they would be going home.

Tonight, with sunrise so close and Elisa's exhaustion, they would spend one more night in the castle.

Elisa only asked that she be able to sleep in a room without stone walls, if possible. She thought of the disorientation she'd had when she'd "come back" to herself in the library, and she did not want to wake up and see the castle walls and panic that her return had been a dream.

So she asked for a modern room. One with a door.

And normal clothing.


	29. Chapter 29

Once the sun rose, and the clan was safely in their stone sleep, Elisa collapsed into the first true sleep that she had had in… however long she'd been gone. She wasn't entirely sure how the timeline days matched up on this one. It felt like she'd been gone for months.

In Nell's time, it had been about a week, though Elisa couldn't be sure how long she'd been down with the fever. She may have missed a day or two in either direction.

She would have to remember to ask someone.

Sleep first, though.

She made her way to the guest room that she'd been offered. She'd been given a spare room in the medical wing to sleep. Elisa was happy, because she was honestly afraid to wake up in a dim room with stone walls and getting disoriented.

Doctor James was happy, because that meant that someone could keep an eye on her during the day, just in case anything happened to her.

Well, anything else, that is.

He picked up the phone and made a couple of calls.

Yes. Elisa would be watched over, he would make sure of that, but he had something he needed to take care of this afternoon.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

While Elisa slept the sleep of the truly exhausted, Margaret came in to man the clinic so that someone would be there in case Elisa needed help.

Doctor James and Kiersten took the day to go to the courthouse and get married. It wasn't the glitz and glamor that Vegas had, but it was the nice and quiet ceremony that they had wanted from the beginning.

And luckily, he was a doctor, so he was able to speed up the blood tests for the occasion.

He wore his military uniform from his time as a military medic.

She wore a white tea length, 50's style dress, complete with the little hat with veil. She carried a small bouquet of loose flowers, bought from the drug store around the corner from the courthouse.

They said their vows, got their picture taken with the judge, and were on their way in less than 15 minutes.

It didn't bother them, though. They both felt like after the last week, getting to this point was a miracle, and they didn't want to waste a moment.

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Elisa had been a little worried about sleeping in the clinic. Honestly, however, it wouldn't have mattered. She was asleep almost before her head hit the pillow, and slept for 13 hours straight. Judging by how stiff she felt, she obviously hadn't so much as twitched in that time.

Elisa spotted a folded note on the small table beside the bed that had her name on it. She opened it and read the contents.

"_**Elisa,**_

_**I was here most of the day, but I had to run home to get a power nap before work, so I'm sorry I wasn't there when you finally raise from the sleeping dead. **_

_**You should talk to Dr. Handsome here about where he and Kiersten spent their day. *wink***_

_**I talked to Maria, A.K.A. your captain. She said that you are to take tonight off, and she's giving Matt the night off as well. I guess she told everyone that you guys are working on some kind of hush hush super secret undercover business, so that no one would question where you all have been over the last few days.**_

_**And, in case you're wondering, today is October 10th. Three weeks until your favorite holiday, so you haven't missed it.**_

_**Gotta run, but feel free to give me a call tomorrow, and I can try to fill in some time gaps for you.**_

_**Glad you're home,**_

_**Margaret"**_

Elisa laughed quietly. It was nice that Margaret had thought to leave her a note. After helping Elisa through months' worth of amnesia, she knew just what questions Elisa would have asked, and beat her to the punch.

Elisa checked the time.

Luckily, it was still roughly an hour before sunset.

It was just enough time.

Elisa had one more thing to see to before the clan woke up.

She made her way to the lower levels, into what had once been the dungeons. Just before the dungeons, there was the small hallway that led father back into the castle. Elisa took that turn, and walked into the alcove that had been 'hers' during her time in the past. When she'd last been in it, it had housed a cot with a thin straw filled mattress, and the small table that held the wash basin.

Now, it was just an empty room. She shouldn't be surprised. After all, there were so many rooms above that one could put things in, and this level was...well… the dungeon.

Not a place you would necessarily want to stay for long.

Elisa took a last look around the small room, then said her goodbye. To Nell, to the past, to the guilt that she still felt that she couldn't have saved the clan… at least not with any certainty.

Turning, he made her way back down the hall, and turned towards the iron cells that currently held Demona.

It was daytime, so Demona was human. She had never seen human Demona cast magic, and she had long ago theorized that had been a side effect of Puck's spell.

At least, she hoped that Demona couldn't cast magic in human form.

Elisa was about to face Demona, and she could use any advantage that she had.

Demona, or Dominique as she called herself in human guise, was laying on her cot, facing the solid rear wall.

Elisa paused for a moment, then without saying anything, she deactivated the Iron Clan Sentry that had been keeping watch on Demona through the hidden command panel. After the sentry had finished powering down, she retrieved the large iron key that would open the old lock.

Demona seemed to pay no attention to anything beyond her cell, until the heavy iron door swung open. She turned, spotted Elisa and snarled. "Come to take your revenge, human?" She got to her feet and held her arms wide. "Come and try."

Elisa did nothing in retaliation. In fact, she didn't even respond to the verbal challenge.

Instead, Elisa turned and re-hung the iron key on its peg on the stone wall.

Elisa turned back to Demona. "A favor owed," She said softly, "And a favor repaid. You helped me. Well," Elisa gave a sarcastic chuckle, "A version of me, anyway. And so I am repaying the favor now. Go," Elisa said. "Leave now, and I will deal with everyone tonight. You have that long to make a decision."

"What decision?" Demona snarled in fury.

"Let it go, Demona," Elisa said. "Let go of the hatred. I know it won't be easy," Elisa said, holding up her hands to stave off more snapping and snarling from Demona. "But at least try."

"Why?" Demona demanded. "Why are you doing this?"

"It's not for me," Elisa assured her. "I know better than to assume that you would do anything for me." She smirked, "At least in this time period, and knowing who I am."

Demona threw Elisa a look. It was not a friendly look, telling Elisa that Demona had put the pieces together, but at least she was keeping her mouth shut.

"It's for Angela," Elisa said. "Your daughter wants to get to know you. She wants a relationship with you. She was raised by humans, without the guidance of any elder gargoyles. Now, she has her father, and she found you, and she has the chance that none of the other clan children ever had, or will ever have." Elisa moved to the side, leaving the door to the cell wide open. "You have a chance to make things right with Angela, to begin repairing your place in the clan. Don't waste it."

Elisa began to walk back to the elevators that would take her back up to the main levels. She breathed a sigh of relief when the doors closed behind her, having half expected to get another spell thrown at her back.

She had not even gotten an insult.

Not even one thinly veiled threat.

Elisa hoped that was a good sign that Demona would take time to think over what she had said.

She needed to be there to greet the clan and give Demona the chance to leave. She would explain her actions to the clan as she had promised.

Hopefully they would understand.


	30. Chapter 30

Elisa broke the news to the clan after they woke for the night, but before they could run off on their patrols.

Some were… more understanding than others.

And that was putting it mildly.

Brooklyn was furious with her. He'd tried to hide it by becoming a wall of silence, but Elisa caught the burning anger in his eyes. Elisa could not blame him. He'd had quite a few run-ins with Demona that didn't end well, where he had fallen for her tricks.

It was bad enough before, but now he had Skyler to protect. He could protest all he wanted, but Elisa knew that his feelings for her were stronger than he was letting on.

Goliath was pretty upset too, but Elisa knew he'd forgive her… eventually.

Angela was the only one who Elisa was unsure how they felt about her mother being released.

With a resigned sigh, Elisa asked everyone to sit down. She started with when she and Angela had gone to speak with Demona about the Council, and ended up floating in the white space. She spoke of watching Nell's life, and interactions with the gypsy band.

She spoke of the false arrest by the guards, and the resulting punishment. Goliath's posture went rigid, having been in the room when Elisa's body had been reacting to being whipped. He hadn't been told what had happened, but knowing now…

Elisa watched as the story finally clicked.

Goliath's head snapped up, and he stared at her in disbelief. "I remember," he started speaking slowly, as if still trying to digest it all. "I remember we had gone out to protect some of the castle's best hunters. They had gone out hunting for game that morning, and there had been reports of large wolves attacking people in the nearby kingdom," Goliath said, picking up speed as it all came to the surface. "The hunting party had not yet returned when we awoke, so we went to look for them. We found them, and returned to see…" He drifted off, closing his eyes.

Hudson stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I remember now, too. The lass, Nell," He corrected, "Had not spoken of meeting any gargoyles there, though."

"That's probably because she wasn't there to see you," Elisa pointed out. "She passed out during the…" Elisa shook her head to clear the images and the memory of the pain inflicted, "But I think we both passed out. When I woke up, it was just me in her body. I wasn't just observing anymore. I woke up, and was being treated by an older female gargoyle with long, gray hair."

"The Healer," Lexington said softly. "I remember her. She took care of the hatchlings, and learned healing to help the humans when she was needed."

"That sounds like her," Elisa said.

"Goliath saw what was going on first, and grabbed the whip from the officer," Brooklyn said. "He and Hudson got between them and the girl…"

"That girl," Broadway said, his own memories being refreshed. He turned to Brooklyn, "We were the ones to help get her down to the Healer."

"Yeah," Brooklyn said softly. "Someone cut the rope, and we caught her before she hit the ground. I remember seeing her back and wondering if she…" He drifted off.

Elisa realized what they weren't saying. She hadn't seen the injury, herself, but evidently they had wondered if she… if Nell… would live.

She had the sudden urge to scratch her back, swearing that she could still feel the broken skin and healing wounds.

"It was bad, lass," Hudson said. "We had arrived just in time for the captain to strike the fifth blow." He shook his head sadly, "Some things are best not remembered."

"And some things you can not forget," Goliath said. He took a steadying breath before continuing. "We realized that the punishment had been carried out without the Captain because he had gone with us. The Princess had not ordered such a thing done, either. So, a group of us went in search of the Gypsy people."

"Goliath thought that it would be a good training for some of us younger clan members," Lexington said. "We weren't expecting a fight, so we were allowed to come along."

"Yeah," Broadway chuckled. "We landed in the middle of an argument they were having. There was this old man who was yelling, and everyone else was trying to get a word in."

"Motshan," Elisa said. "The eldest."

Broadway nodded.

"Yeah," Lexington said. "He was demanding to know who the thief was, and to go back and get the girl free, but the soldiers had driven them away before they could do anything."

"Then we caught their attention, and all hell broke loose," Brooklyn said.

"Everyone started to scatter," Broadway said.

"Then the elder turned to face Goliath, and demanded to know where Nell was." Hudson chuckled. He shook his head. "He was fearless."

"That was when this woman," Broadway said, "The real thief, I guess, started screaming about how we had come for her."

"She confessed all, and her people turned her over to us." Goliath said. "The sun was about to rise, so we were not able to make it back that night. We spent the night in their encampment, with their vows to keep us safe and return with us to escort the thief and let her go before the princess to save the woman who had been wrongly accused."

"You got there just in time," Elisa said, realizing for the first time the danger they had put themselves in to save Nell, an innocent.

The group turned to her again in wonder.

Elisa smiled. "I was still there when you all returned with Menowin, the woman who actually stole the cups," she clarified. She turned to Goliath then. "You took me back to my little room after Menowin had been taken away."

He jerked in surprise.

Elisa shrugged. "I think I really shocked you that night, but I was hurt, scared and I missed you so much…" Elisa trailed off.

Goliath gathered her close. "I am so sorry, my love." He whispered for her ears only.

Elisa nodded, swiping at the traitorous tear that had welled up.

"It's nice to know what happened, but between you finding the gypsies and you're return with the gypsies, I met younger Demona. She was left to watch me for a while, and I managed to convince her to help me."

"How?" Angela asked abruptly.

It was the first time Angela had spoken since Elisa had been her story.

Elisa drew a breath. This was the hard part. "I explained as much as I could, as much as I felt I safely could, without altering the events of the past."

She told the clan what she had done. "I wanted so badly to tell her about the clan, and to warn her about what was going to happen. Try to save everyone," Elisa hung her head. "Maybe I should have tried, but…"

"You could not have done anything," Goliath hurried to reassure his mate.

"No one would have believed you, Lass," Hudson said, sounding tired. "Demona was our second in command. None of us would have believed her capable of such deviousness."

"I know," Elisa said. "But maybe…"

Goliath squeezed her shoulders.

Elisa took the hint and stopped talking in "What ifs" and "maybes".

"So Demona believed you," Angela reminded her.

"Yes," Elisa said. "She found the book with the original spell in it. She cast it, and suddenly I was back."

"So why release her?" Brooklyn asked. "Just because she helped a human in the past doesn't mean she's not dangerous now."

"No," Elisa agreed. "But she was already on the path that brought her here. She already hated humans, I could see that, but after I explained that there were still humans in the future who knew and cared for Clans of Gargoyles in the world, she decided to help me."

Elisa paused. "I'm not saying that she's not going to cause problems in the future, but I guess it gave me hope. I mean, she _is_ trying to connect all of the clans together to support each other, so maybe…"

Elisa gave Angela a look. "I'm not suggesting that we move her back in with open arms. I don't think she'd accept that, or that it would be a good idea at all… but maybe she's finally finding her way on the right path and trying to make amends for the past."

"Maybe," Angela muttered, looking away.

"We will not let down our guard," Goliath said with a sigh, "But we will not make the first move against her, either."

"That's all I ask," Elisa said. "And, believe me, I never thought I would be defending Demona."

**-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-** **-{-**

Across town, Demona paced in her empty library.

Damn humans, ransacking her home, stealing her books and not bothering to return them.

Holding her prisoner for days and then just letting her go as if she were nothing.

She snarled.

She would deal with them in her own time, but for now, she would have to do some thinking.

She had worked too hard, spent too long, trying to organize the clans of the world. If they could band together, they could prove to the humans that they were not creatures to be hunted down.

The time for hiding in the shadows was past. She saw that, even if no one else did.

Yet.

And she was not going to let Goliath, and that lying human take that from her.

Oh, she remembered what the human had said, over a millennium ago. While she hadn't lied, she hadn't told the truth, either.

And she'd actually helped her.

Oh, that thought stuck in her craw. She'd helped a human who knew what was going to happen in the past, and said nothing to stop it.

Then again, she probably would have thought the human mad. Insane. She had put so much faith in the human Captain of the guard to keep them all safe, that by the time she realized how wrong it could go, it was too late.

She had tried to convince Goliath to move the clan, even if just for that one day and night.

But what then? If they'd come back to an empty castle, Goliath would have just invited more humans in, or found another place for them to protect where it would have all begun again.

Demona stormed into her room and started packing. In the morning, she as Dominique would leave Manhattan, and see if she could salvage her work with the other clans.

She would, she vowed.

Even if she had to lead them herself.


	31. Chapter 31

Epilogue:

"I'm still not sure how I feel about this," Elisa said. "I've never really believed in the whole reincarnation thing. Do you know how many people have claimed to be Joan of Arc or Cleopatra in a past life?"

"I understand," Angela said, frowning at the torn page that held the words of the spell Demona had used. "But… The original spell is to give you a vision of the past. By changing this one word," She pointed to the Latin phrase, "from 'to see' to 'embrace', it changed to entire the entire spell, allowing you and Nell to switch places."

It had been a little over a week since Elisa had returned. Angela had spent the time pouring through the books that were still housed at the castle, trying to come up with an explanation as to what had actually happened.

It had become something of an obsession, and Elisa was worried for her. She knew that Angela had been feeling a lot of guilt over her part in the whole thing, but nothing anyone else had said seemed to help.

Finally, Elisa had offered to help Angela in her research, hoping that her participation would help alleviate some of it. Honestly, Elisa wasn't sure if it was doing any good, but she was trying.

Which is how it came to be that they were sitting on opposite sides of a small square table, in a room filled with stacks of books, on Elisa's first night off since she'd returned to work.

"And it kind of makes sense," Angela said, rushing forward with her conclusion. "I wasn't here for the clan's awakening here, but I have been told about it and how you were so accepting of them right away. Most humans would have screamed and run away."

"I was frightened enough to fall off the building," Elisa pointed out.

"And father caught you," Angela said with a smile. "But you still stuck around. You talked to them, met with them the next night and became their friend."

"True," Elisa said with a laugh.

"You have a strong protective instinct, and you have dedicated your life to finding justice for people. For helping people." Angela pointed out.

"Okay," Elisa said. She was still not entirely convinced, but it was making sense…

"And," Angela said pointedly, "That's probably from the lack of it shown towards you as Nell. She was punished without evidence, without a trial, and suffered because of it. All of this could have carried over into this lifetime."

"Maybe," Elisa said, then shrugged. "Okay, I agree that it is convincing. I'm going to have to think on this a little more. It's a lot to process."

Angela smiled, sadly. "I'm sorry that it happened to you."

"Angela, it's okay. I'm back, I'm fine," Elisa held her arms out at her sides. "No side effects, except that I now know a lot more Gaelic than I used to."

Angela's smile brightened. "Thank you for letting me do this," She said. "And thank you for helping me."

"I'm not sure I did much," Elisa said, scanning the room around them. "I wish I'd paid more attention to my foreign language courses. Then I could have been a little more help."

"Elisa…" Angela started, only to drift off, looking uneasy.

"What?" Elisa asked, concerned.

Angela took a breath, "I've been thinking… And I think I want to keep looking through these books. My moth… Demona," She said firmly, "Said that she rarely learned the counter spells to anything. Maybe I should learn them, if for no other reason than to be ready if she does anything like this again."

Elisa noticed that Angela was starting to refer to Demona by name more often, and stopping herself from referring to her as 'Mother' as she used to. She wanted to say something about that, but chose to hold her tongue.

"You know," Elisa said instead, "That might not be a bad idea. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes," Angela said, her jaw set in a stubborn expression as if she was expecting Elisa to argue with her.

"Alright," Elisa said. "On one condition."

"What?"

"You burn that page," Elisa said firmly. "We have the counter spell for this one written down elsewhere, just in case." Elisa had made sure of that, repeating it over and over to the clan so that they were able to get it written down before she lost the words from her memory. "That spell shouldn't fall into the wrong hands again."

"Demona had it memorized," Angela pointed out.

"Yes," Elisa acknowledged, "But as bad as Demona can be, there could be worse out there."

Angela thought on it for the briefest moment. Shoving her chair back with a scraping sound on the stone floor, Angela got to her feet. With the page of the spell crumpled in her fist, she made her way to the fireplace and tossed the balled up page in the flames.

Together, the two females watched as the paper disintegrated into ash.

"Now what?" Angela asked. For all of her determination earlier, she sounded a little lost.

"Now," Elisa said firmly, "We go. We live our lives. You'll start studying magic to keep us all safe, and I'll go back to work trying to keep our little island safe. For tonight, I say that we've both been through enough. We'll cuddle the kids and spend time with our mates. Tomorrow will be here soon enough."

-{- -{- -{- -{-

Elisa found Goliath on his tower, facing out into the vast sea of lights that dotted the city even at this hour.

He didn't turn when she'd come through the door, but she suspected he knew she was there. It was subtle, but it was there in the relaxation of his shoulders, the slight tilt of his head as she moved closer.

She walked up and wove her arms around his chest from behind, laying her cheek against the firm muscles of his back.

"Feasgar math mo ghaol," Elisa said. (Good evening, My love)

Goliath chuckled. "I may never get used to that."

"Never is a long time," Elisa joked.

Goliath turned, forcing Elisa to loosen her hold. He gathered her closely, and as he had every night since she and Nell had temporarily switched places, he looked into her eyes.

"It's still me," Elisa said, laughing a little. She wasn't even sure if he was aware that he was doing it.

Goliath ran his hand through her hair. "It may take me a while to stop looking," He admitted sheepishly.

"Big guy," Elisa said with a grin, "If it means you looking into my eyes, you take all the time you need."

He chuckled deep in his chest, and drew her to his side, and together they gazed out at the city below.

"Has Angela told you her theory about Nell being a past life of mine?" Elisa asked.

"Yes," Goliath said.

"You realize," Elisa said slyly, "That means that I was the first human to hug you in one life, and the first to kiss you in this one."

Goliath smiled, "And, even if I was not aware of it, you loved me in both."

"Big Guy," Elisa said softly, all joking left her tone. "I loved you then, I love you now, and if there is a life after this one, I will love you in the future."

Goliath gathered her close, and the past and future fled in that instant.

All that mattered for them, was the present.


End file.
